Sand Lullaby
by Shado Kitsune
Summary: What if Gaara wasn't raised by only his uncle Yashamaru? Would he have turned out the same? Or would there be small or big changes?
1. Prologue

**Sand Lullaby**

Prologue

"Ahem," the sound of someone clearing their throat cause a woman with dark brown hair to look up from her work.

"Ah, Kazekage-sama! I'm so sorry! I didn't know that you were coming," the woman exclaimed, standing and bowing to the man in her doorway. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, Takashi-san, there is. You are to take care of my son alongside Yashamaru-san." The Kazekage spat the word "son" as if it were acid.

"Your son, my lord? I thought Kankuro-sama was old enough to not -" The woman started before the Kazekage interrupted her.

"Not him. You do remember my wife was pregnant, yes? She gave birth tonight, to a boy, the holder of the one-tailed demon Shukaku. My wife died." He explained.

Takashi-san gasped. "Oh my. So you want Yashamaru-san and myself to raise the boy?" The Kazekage nodded. "Where is he? The baby, I mean," That was when she noticed the bundle in the Kazekage's arms.

The Kazekage thrust the bundle to the woman. As soon as she had a hold of it, he turned to leave. "You are to care for him starting tonight. His name is Gaara." With that said, the Kazekage left.

Takashi-san nodded absently while looking at the bundle that revealed to be a baby. The baby, Gaara, had a little tuft of red hair on his head and his eyes were closed in slumber. "Hello, little one, my name is Takashi Nana, and I love you already."

Gaara, as if hearing Nana's words, blinked his eyes open slowly, before focusing his gaze on the woman holding him for a moment. Then, his cyan eyes closed again in sleep.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Seven Years Later**

_Saturday:_

"_Ahhh!" The scream rang out._

"_Gaara, no! Leave her alone!" A woman cried before "CRACK!" _

"_NANA!" Another scream, then the sounds of sobbing can be heard._

_Earlier that week, Monday before sunrise:_

Nana Takashi awoke from her light slumber with a start. She sat up in her bed, the kunai from under her pillow in hand. "Who's there?" she called into the darkness, feeling for unfamiliar chakra signatures.

"Nana-chan, I'm scared," a little voice replied. Nana identified the voice at once and instantly relaxed. The speaker was none other than Sabaku no Gaara, the youngest child of the Kazekage.

"What's wrong, Gaara-kun?" Nana asked, putting her kunai back and walking over to Gaara.

"Yashamaru-san hasn't come home yet, and I think that something bad happened to him," Gaara answered, clinging tightly to his teddy bear.

"Oh, sweetie, come here." Nana cooed, holding her arms open for the little boy. The cyan-eyed boy eagerly embraced the woman that had become a mother-figure to him. "Don't worry about Yashamaru-san. He was sent on a week long mission, remember? So until he returns, it'll be just you, me, and Rika." Nana reminded the red head in her arms.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Nana-chan, will you stay up and watch the sunrise with me? Yashamaru-san usually watches it with me, but he's not here. Please?" Gaara pleaded.

Nana chuckled and nodded. "Of course, I would love to watch the sunrise with you. You know, when you were a baby, I would hold you in my arms and we would go up on the roof of the Kazekage's tower and watch the sun rise. In fact, the first sunrise you saw was the morning after you were born."

Gaara smiled, then he frowned, "Why did you stop watching the sun rise with me? Did you start to hate watching it with me?"

"Don't you ever think that I hated it, ever. A few months after you were born, I became pregnant with my own baby, and a year after you, Rika was born and Yashamaru-san made take care of my own baby for a while. So then he started taking you to see the sun rise. But, watching you see the sun rise was, more often than not, the best part of my day."

Gaara looked at Nana in awe, "Really, Nana-chan? You mean that?"

"Of course I do, silly! You should know that I would never, ever say anything that I didn't mean to you." Nana chuckled.

"Kaa-san, I had a bad dream and I can't find Gaara-chan. Can I sleep with you?" Another little voice asked from the doorway.

"Of course, Rika. C'mere, hun." Nana replied to her daughter, arms open. "Gaara-kun is in here. That's why you couldn't find him."

Rika gasped, rushing to give her red-haired friend a hug. "Gaara-chan, did you have a bad dream too? Was the monster trying to eat you, too? He tried to eat me."

Gaara giggled, "No, I didn't have a bad dream. I can't sleep, remember? I just want to go watch the sun rise and was asking Nana-chan if she would take me. Wanna come?"

Rika nodded her head vigorously, "Yes, yes! Please, Kaa-san, please?"

Nana softly sighed before smiling. "Alright, but you both have to behave, otherwise we won't go again." She warned her mischievous daughter and charge.

Rika and Gaara cheered, jumping up and down, causing Nana to laugh out loud. "Hahaha, by the way you two are reacting, one would think that you are getting to go to the park or to see a play instead of watching the sun rise," she chuckled.

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><p><strong><em>Review? ^_^<em>**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Here's chapter two of Sand Lullaby!_**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Gaara and Rika were hurrying to the cliffs on the outskirts of the city, dragging Nana behind them. "Hurry up, Kaa-san. The cliffs are the best place to watch the sun rise. We don't want to miss it!"

Nana chuckled as she was practically dragged along. "Hold up, you two. My arms are about to fall off. Besides, I know a better place to watch the sunrise." That caught the attention of the two children and caused them to stop pulling her.

"Where? Yashamaru-san said that there wasn't any better place than the cliffs." Gaara said, looking up to his mother-figure.

"I never told him where the best spot is because it's my special spot that I only share with special people." Nana replied. "Now hop on my back and hold on." She knelt on the ground so Gaara and Rika could climb on her back. Both kids clung to Nana and to each other. As soon as Nana felt that the two children were holding on tightly, she took off, climbing the nearest building and traveling over the rooftops until they reached the top of the Kazekage's tower. When she stopped, Nana knelt down again to let Rika and Gaara off her back.

When Rika set her feet on the roof of the tower, she ran to the edge and looked around. "Wow! You can see the whole village and even past the cliffs from here! Gaara, come see! It's so pretty." Rika exclaimed, waving Gaara over.

Gaara gasped when he walked over and looked. "Wow, it's amazing. Look! The sun is starting to wake up! I can see the first rays!" He sat down next to Rika. Nana came over and sat down next to Gaara on his other side.

"Oh, how I missed doing this every morning. It's prettier than I remember." Nana sighed, causing Rika and Gaara to look up at her. "What? I used to come up here all the time before I got so busy. I haven't come up here for years."

"Nana-chan, isn't this where you used to take me?" Gaara asked.

Nana smiled, "Yes, this is where I would take you every morning. The first time I did, I think that we scared Yashamaru-san half to death because he would wake up and go to check on Gaara and BAM! You were gone and I was too. He would search high and low until I would be walking back through town and I would run into him. He grabbed me by the arm, careful of you, Gaara, and dragged me back to our house. When we got there, he pulled me into the main room and yelled at me about how worried he was when he couldn't find Gaara or me."

_Flashback:_

_Nana was walking down the street, collecting many stares and starting many whispers because of the unknown baby she was carrying. She looked down at the red-headed baby in her arms and smiled. "Gaara, you are the most beautiful baby I have ever seen." She cooed softly to the sleeping newborn babe. The two had just finished watching Gaara's first ever sunrise from atop the roof of the Kazekage's tower and were returning home._

_Suddenly, someone grabbed Nana's arm and started dragging her. Nana looked up at the person holding her arm and gasped when she saw Yashamaru. "Yashamaru-san, where are you taking me? What's wrong?" Yashamaru didn't answer and kept dragging Nana until they were inside the house they were sharing to raise Gaara._

_Nana asked again what was wrong when Yashamaru had finally stopped pulling her after reaching the living room. She was surprised when Yashamaru replied._

"_What's wrong? What's wrong? Is that all you have to ask?" Yashamaru yelled, "I'll tell you what's wrong. I woke up and found that Gaara-sama and you are both gone! I searched the whole house, twice! And then I started searching around the village when I find you walking calmly down the street with Gaara-sama in your arms! That is what's wrong! I was worried something happened to one of you! Where were you? You didn't even leave a note!" When Yashamaru finished, Gaara had been woken up by the yelling and was crying._

_All Nana could do was stand there, shocked and try to quiet Gaara. Then she recovered enough from Yashamaru yelling at her to form a reply. "I'm sorry. I took Gaara-kun to watch the sunrise this morning. I guess I forgot to leave a note. I didn't mean to make you worry, honest. I'm so sorry!" When she finished, Nana was close to tears. Yashamaru saw this and sighed. He pulled the slightly younger and smaller woman to him and hugged her, careful of the baby in her arms._

"_Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean to make you upset, but I was extremely worried. Next time, please leave a note or tell me ahead of time." Yashamaru said softly. Nana nodded and the two just stood there for a moment with little Gaara sandwiched carefully between them._

_End Flashback_

"Kaa-san, look! The sun is half-way up and is turning the sky orange. Isn't it pretty, Gaara-chan? I think so." Rika said, interrupting her mother's thoughts.

Gaara nodded, "Yeah, it's beautiful. Nana-chan, can we watch it again tomorrow morning?" he asked.

Nana smiled, "Sure, if you wake me up early enough. We can watch the sunrise any morning you want to." Gaara and Rika cheered. The trio sat in relative silence for a few more minutes until the sun was fully risen from the horizon. "Alright, little ones. Time to head back home for breakfast. Hop on," she bent down so the two children could climb on her back again.

Gaara whispered to Rika while Nana was fixing breakfast after carrying them back home, "Let's do this every morning, okay? Just you, me, and Nana-chan. No one else, promise?" He held out his pinky to Rika.

"Yeah, promise." Rika crossed her pinky with Gaara's, sealing the promise.

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><p><em><strong>So, what do you think? Please review! Ja!<strong>_

_**~Elfgurl-chan ^_^**_


	4. Chapter 3

_Hey all! Well, I'm back with chapter 3! Hope you enjoy, and please review!_

**Chapter 3**

The next day, after watching the sunrise and eating breakfast, Gaara and Rika were at the park with Nana. The two kids were on the swings, having a contest to see who could swing the highest.

"Gaara, you can't use your sand! That's cheating!" Rika cried when Gaara used his sand to push him higher. Then she squealed when the sand started to push her too.

"Is it cheating now? My sand is pushing you too." Gaara pointed out, giggling at Rika's wowed expression.

Rika just shook her head, shocked for a second. Then she screamed, "This is awesome!" Rika had a huge grin on her face, her eyes lit up with excitement.

Nana had looked up in alarm from the scroll she was studying when she heard Rika's scream. But she relaxed at Rika's grin, and continued to study while still having her senses tuned into the children.

Gaara laughed at Rika's reaction. Rika frowned, "What's so funny?"

"Your reaction is always the same, no matter how many times the sand helps you," Gaara giggled after a moment.

Rika just scowled. Nana stood up then, "Alright you two, time to go home."

"Aw.. but we're not ready to leave," Rika and Gaara whined.

Nana shook her head, saying that if they didn't whine they could stay longer tomorrow, causing the two children to cheer up. Rika jumped off the swing in mid air and flipped a few times in the air before landing gracefully with assistance from Gaara's sand. After she landed, Gaara followed suit, landing next to her. Both kids looked at each other and grinned.

"Nana-chan, when is Yashamaru-san coming back?" Gaara questioned as the trio walked home.

"In a few days, why? Getting bored with us girls already?" Nana asked, joking.

Gaara shook his head, "No, just wondering." He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Nana-chan, do you think Yashamaru-san will come with us to watch the sunrise each morning when he comes back?"

Nana paused and thought for a minute before shrugging, "I don't know, Gaara-kun. Maybe, if you ask him nicely." Gaara nodded and decided that he would ask when Yashamaru returned from his mission.

Meanwhile, a dark figure was hiding on the top of a nearby building and chose this moment to throw an object at the trio. Thankfully, Gaara's sand detected it and stopped the flying object before it hit anyone. When the sand cleared, they saw that the object thrown was a kunai knife. Nana frowned at the knife and quickly ushered the children on home, warning them to be on guard, while calculating where the weapon was thrown from and who it was aimed at. Once Rika and Gaara were on their way and Nana had figured out where the knife came from, she quickly ran up the side of the building and caught the culprit who had thrown the knife. The figure had, by now, pulled out another kunai and charged, causing Nana to pull her own knife out to defend herself. The skirmish was over before long because Nana was able to quickly overpower her opponent. While holding the other person in a headlock, Nana hissed into his or her ear, "Don't you ever attack Gaara-kun or my daughter again. Especially when they are under my watch. Now, who sent you and who was your target?" She demanded.

The assassin tugged at Nana's arm, unable to breathe or speak. When Nana loosened her grip, the person took a breath before speaking in a raspy voice, definitely male, "I was sent to injure or kill the little girl and to kill that monster."

Nana, who had released her hold on the assassin in favor of tying him up, slapped him across the face. "The little girl is my daughter and "that monster" as you call him, is like my son and is my daughter's best friend. You tell whoever sent you that the next person they send will be returned in little pieces. I promise that." Nana swore, giving the man a small cut on the cheek to emphasize her point. "Now, I'm going to cut you loose and if you aren't gone by the time I count to three, you won't be able to deliver my message to your boss, am I clear?"

"C-crystal," The man said, scared out of his wits. He was going to have to change his pants before he went to his employer. No wonder no one else would take this job; Nana Takashi was scary! It was obvious why she was called the Cold-Blooded Terror of the Sand. As soon as the ropes binding him were cut, he was out of there before Takashi-sama started counting.

As soon as the assassin left, Nana smirked evilly. The assassin was so scared that he didn't realize that she had placed a tracking device on his clothes. _'I'm curious about his boss. They must be desperate to hire a bozo like that. He didn't even notice that my kunai was laced with poison. By tomorrow, he will be dead.' _With this thought, Nana headed back home, keeping her guard up even when she walked into her home. Good thing she did too, because Rika and Gaara charged as soon as they saw and heard the door open.

"RAWR!" Rika yelled, wrapping her arms around Nana's legs. Gaara yelled also, jumping up and getting his arms around Nana's neck. Nana laughed and picked Rika up before wrapping both children in a great hug and tickling their sides. Rika and Gaara howled with laughter begging Nana to stop.

"Now that I've got you, what should I do with you two?" Nana asked out loud.

Rika giggled, "Let us go!"

"Yeah!" Gaara agreed, hardly able to speak because he was laughing so hard.

Nana looked at them as if they had spoken in another language. "Let you go? Now, why would I do a thing like that? Oh no, you must pay for your crimes,"

"What crimes?" Gaara and Rika chorused.

"What crimes? What crimes you ask? Why, you attacked me, a big, bad kunoichi of the Village Hidden in the Sand, without warning!"

Gaara and Rika laughed. "We did too give you warning! We yelled as we ran to attack you." Rika pointed out.

Nana paused and pretended to think. "Well, by golly, you did! Okay, I'll let you go. But I'll get you next time!" She warned, putting the two kids down. "Alright, now who's ready to eat?" She asked, heading to the kitchen.

"I am!" "Me too!"


	5. Chapter 4

_Hi again. Two in one day! Sorry this is short. I'm working on chapter five and will get it finished and posted as soon as I can. Enjoy and please review!_

Chapter 4

And so the next few days passed: get up early to watch the sunrise, return home to eat breakfast, go and play at the park, and then go home. Usually, not many were at the park when Gaara, Rika, and Nana were there, or at least not in the same part. But, that Saturday, some other kids were playing with a ball nearby and one accidentally kicked the ball near the swings where Rika and Gaara were. Both children stopped swinging and Gaara got off to return the ball.

"Here's your ball," He said, holding out to the girl who came to get it. "Can Rika and me play?"

"NO! We don't play with monsters and their friends!" The girl cried, turning to run back.

"Wait! Don't you want your ball back? Come back!" Gaara cried, his sand wrapping around the girl's ankle.

"AHHH! Let me go, monster! AHHH!" the girl screamed, tugging at the sand.

Nana, who had been watching what was going on, ran over as soon as the girl got caught by the sand. "Gaara, no! Leave her alone!" Nana cried, jumping in front of the girl as soon as a wave of sand was going to hit her. 'CRACK!'

"NANA! No, no, no! I'm so sorry!" Gaara sobbed, Rika holding onto him, trying to get him to calm down. Tears were silently streaming down her face. When Gaara's sand cleared, another barrier of sand was up, protecting Nana and the little girl. The wall was thrown up by none other than Nana herself. Thankfully, neither two were hurt, because Nana had summoned her sand barrier just in time.

"Are you okay, little one?" She asked the girl behind her on the ground. The girl nodded, tears streaming down her face. She quickly stood and ran away to her friends, who all quickly left not long afterward.

Nana then turned to Gaara and Rika, bracing herself for the impact that was coming as the two ran at her. She still fell down, though, as Rika and Gaara wrapped their arms around her, both crying.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay, Nana-chan?" Gaara asked through his tears.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Don't cry you two, okay? Everything is going to be all right," Nana said, embracing Gaara and her daughter.

"Kaa-san, I was so scared! But why did she call Gaara a monster? He isn't, right?" Rika asked, confused.

"Of course not, sweetie!Gaara, you are no more a monster than a newborn baby, so don't you ever believe anyone that says otherwise, you hear? And Rika, don't you listen to what they say to you, too, okay?" Nana ordered.

"Yes, Nana-chan," "Okay, Kaa-san," both children answered.

Nana nodded, "Good. Now, we should be getting home. We need to have lunch and you two need to work on your schoolwork if you want any dessert tonight, okay? Okay," Nana stood with both children in her arms and walked home.


	6. Chapter 5

_Hi! It's me again. Sorry,but this most likely won't turn out the way most of you expect. So, I'll apologize ahead of time. But I still hope you like it!_

Chapter 5

That evening, while Nana, Gaara, and Rika were eating dinner, Yashamaru returned home from his mission.

"Yashamaru-san, you're home early," Nana noted, standing to greet her fellow ninja and housemate.

"Yes, things went better than planned and the mission was finished faster than we first thought." Yashamaru replied, smiling as he knelt to receive hugs from Gaara and Rika.

"Yashamaru-san, we missed you! Where did you go?" Rika spoke up, her big blue eyes full of questions for the shinobi.

"We were in the Land of Fire this time. I got you and Gaara something." Yashamaru reached into his bag and brought out a beautiful doll and a kunai. He handed the doll to Rika and the kunai to Gaara. "Just in case," he told the boy when Gaara got a confused looked on his face.

Rika grinned and gave Yashamaru another hug. "Thank you! She's beautiful!" Rika then released the older man and ran to her room to play. Gaara then gave Yashamaru a hug, too, before going to play with Rika until bedtime.

Late one night, a few weeks after Yashamaru returned, Nana sat up straight in bed, kunai in hand. She looked around, trying to find what woke her from her light sleep. She strained her ears, listening for the slightest sound.

"Shh, we'll wake Nana-chan and Yashamaru-san if we aren't quiet," a little voice, Gaara, whispered.

"Gaara, where are we going?" Rika asked, sleepily.

There were no sounds of footsteps, but the rustling sound of sand blowing in the wind. _'Gaara's sand must be carrying them,'_ Nana thought.

"You'll see in a minute. I'm gonna show you the most beautiful sight after a sunrise." Gaara replied.

Nana silently slipped out of her room after the two children had passed. She kept behind and in the shadows as Gaara's sand carried him and Rika out the window and up to the rooftop. Gaara pointed up, signaling to Rika to look. Rika did so, and gasped at what she saw. The moon was full and had a halo of light around it.

"Oh, it's beautiful! Thank you for showing me, Gaara." Rika exclaimed softly, wrapping her arms around Gaara in a hug. Gaara blushed, but it wasn't noticeable in the dark, even with the full moon.

"You're welcome," Gaara replied, returning Rika's hug. "I am sorry about today. Scaring you, I mean. So, I brought you here to make up for it."

Rika's smile beamed brightly at the boy, "It's okay! Everything turned out great, didn't it?"

Gaara nodded slowly, "Yeah, I guess so." And then they sat in silence for a while before Rika let out a big, long yawn. "Are you tired? I'll take you back inside," Gaara offered.

Rika shook her head, "No, I wanna stay out here all night."

"We'll stay out here until you fall asleep and then I'll take you back inside. Deal?" Gaara compromised.

Rika nodded, too tired to argue or speak. She laid her head on Gaara's shoulder and fell asleep looking at the moon. As soon as Gaara was going to pick Rika up with his sand, an object flew at them in the dark. Before it hit its target, however, Nana jumped out and blocked the projectile with her kunai knife.

"Ah, it's nice to see that the Cold-Blooded Terror of the Sand hasn't softened like we all thought. We all thought that becoming a mother and caretaker of that little monster would make you so soft and weak." A man's voice rang out from the shadows. "Oh, and thanks for the message. As soon as my employee delivered it, he keeled over dead. And you should know that the tracking device you placed on him wasn't working."

Nana cursed silently. _'Who is this creep? What does he want?' _"What do you want? Show yourself!" She called out to the culprit.

"Oh, Nana-chan, do you really not know who I am? I am so hurt. But then, you never told me where you would go, so why should I have told you?" The voice replied. Nana could just hear the smirk in the speaker's voice.

Nana gasped, finally recognizing the voice. "How could you? I thought you love him!"

The man scoffed, "Love him? How could you think that? He's the monster that killed my sister. Yes, Gaara, it's me, Yashamaru."

"Why?" Was all that Gaara asked.

"Why? I hate you, and so did my sister. Everyone hates you, Gaara. No one loves you. No one." Yashamaru answered, stepping out of the shadows so they could see him.

Rika stepped forward towards Yashamaru. "That's a lie! Kaa-san and me love Gaara! Just because you and everyone else thinks that he is a monster, doesn't mean that he is." She exclaimed.

Yashamaru frowned, "Shut up, you don't know what you're talking about." He raised his hand to strike Rika, but before he could touch her, Gaara's sand surrounded and started squeezing him.

"Don't ever try to hit Rika again!" Gaara yelled, holding out his hand, "Sand Coffin!" He closed his hand into a fist. Yashamaru yelled in pain and Gaara dropped him. Yashamaru just laid where he fell, his vest ripped open to reveal a bunch of exploding tags covering his chest.

"Die," Was all Yashamaru said before he set off the exploding tags. **KA-BAM**

After the air cleared from the blast debris, only two figures were left standing, while one was lying on the ground, barely alive.

Nana was alive, but not for long. In a last attempt to protect the children, Nana had stepped in front of them and made a barrier to block Gaara and Rika from the blast. But, Nana herself was left unprotected and vulnerable to the blast. "Gaara-kun, Rika, c'mere for a second, please." She whispered, thankfully the two children were standing right next to her and could hear her. "I want you both to remember how much I love each of you. Don't ever, ever forget that, promise me." She grasped both Rika and Gaara's hands in her own.

Both children nodded, not able to speak. Nana smiled. "Good. Take care of each other, no matter what. I love you both so, so much and I am so very proud of both of you." Then, with a smile, Nana took her last breath and relaxed.

"NO!" The scream echoed in the silent night from Gaara. "No, no, no! Why did this happen? This wasn't supposed to happen!" He cried. "Nana-chan, Yashamaru-san, why? Yashamaru-san, why did you hate me? Why did you take Nana-chan with you? We need her more!" Gaara stared at the remains of both of his caretakers.

Rika was just standing there, shocked that her mother was really gone. After a moment, though, she burst into tears and reached to cling to Gaara. But, his sand was surrounding him and engraving something on his forehead. Gaara screamed in pain. After the sand cleared, Gaara had blood running down the left side of his face. On his forehead was the kanji "ai" carved into his skin. Rika reached to hug him, but Gaara pushed her away. "Don't touch me! Don't try to lie, I know you don't love me! No one does! Yashamaru-san was right, how could anyone love a monster like me?" With that, he ran inside and downstairs through the house till he reached the door. He didn't stop running until he got to the desert outside the city.

Rika stayed on the roof, looking up at the moon, tears still streaming. "Why Kaa-san? What do I do now?"

_I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad! Things will get better, and my next chapter will be much longer, promise! Reviews, please? [ducks head]_


	7. Chapter 6

_Hey ya'll. I'm soooo sorry about killing Nana-chan last chapter, but I had no control. The scene wrote itself with me just typing it. Please don't hurt me! Waaah! I don't want you to hate me, hate the muse! I'm just the middle person. :'(_

_Please enjoy and review at the end. ^_^_

**Chapter 6**

**5 Years Later**

Rika entered the gates of Suna with her team: Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and their Jounin sensei, Baki. She glanced to her left where Temari was walking with her huge fan strapped across her back. "Isn't it nice to be home?" Rika asked her fellow female teammate.

Temari looked over at the younger girl and smile. "Yeah, even though we were barely gone."

"Still, there's no place like home. But, I wonder what it is like to live in Konohagakure, what with all the trees and no desert." Rika wondered out loud.

"Why would you wanna go to Konohagakure?" Kankuro asked, joining their conversation.

Rika just stared at him. "Don't you know anything? That's where the Chuunin exams are being held. And, my mother once said that my father was a shinobi from there. So, I plan on finding out who he is and visiting him there someday." She could feel Gaara's silent stare boring into her, but said or did nothing to acknowledge him until he was still staring after a few moments. By now, they had reached the apartment complex where Rika lived. "Would you all like to come in and have dinner?" She offered, like always when they returned home from a mission. She received nods from Kankuro and Temari, a grunt from Gaara, and a "No thank you," from Baki. The replies never changed.

Temari went straight to the guest bedroom, where she had spare clothes from spending so much time, and often ending up spending the night, at Rika's, to freshen up in the adjoined bathroom. Kankuro went and sat on the couch in the living room, chatting with Rika, who was in the kitchen preparing supper. Gaara would just stand, leaning against the wall in the kitchen, out of the way.

When Temari exited from "her" room, she joined Kankuro on the couch in the living room. When Rika finished in the kitchen, she started to carry the tray with the food into the living room but was stopped by Gaara. She looked at the red-head with a questioning glance before setting the tray in his outstretched hands, who then followed her to join the others. After setting the tray down on the coffee table in front of the others, Gaara went and leaned against the wall near Rika's rocking chair. He could feel the stares of his older siblings but ignored them in favor of closing his eyes and listening to Rika's voice as she chatted with the two others.

"Temari, there's a sale tomorrow at the clothing store tomorrow. Wanna go with me?" Rika asked the older girl.

Temari nodded fervently. "Yes! What time?"

Rika thought for a moment, "Not sure yet. Kankuro, will you join us?"

"Are you crazy? I'm not going with you two! I'll be stuck carrying your bags and whatever else you tell me to. No thanks, I learned my lesson well last time." Kankuro exclaimed.

"Well, that's too bad, because I was going to fix breakfast before we left. Oh well," Rika sighed, "I guess that leaves more for Temari and me." She mentally smirked as she saw Kankuro's reaction to the information he just received.

"Can I just come for breakfast?" Kankuro asked, "Because I love your cooking, Rika, but I hate shopping with you."

"Oh, I guess so. Would you like to join us, Gaara? I'm making your favorite," Rika extended the breakfast invitation to her favorite teammate and childhood friend. She looked up at him from her seat in the rocking chair. She beamed when Gaara gave her a minute nod, his eyes lighting up slightly at the mention of her cooking his favorite breakfast. "Okay! So, how does 0830 sound?" At the looks of Kankuro and Temari, Rika continued, "Or you all could stay here for the night?"

"Okay, but I'm not sharing my bed with anyone, " Temari warned.

"Good, because I didn't want to share with you anyways," Kankuro countered, causing an argument to break out between himself and his older sister.

Rika just shook her head at the interaction between the two siblings. She spared a glance at Gaara standing beside her and smiled. Gaara's eyes were closed in thought. Rika never told anyone, but she was in love with her red-headed teammate.

After a delicious dinner of Rika's chicken enchiladas, Temari and Kankuro fought over who got the bed, until Rika butted in and gave Temari her bed, leaving Kankuro with the guest room. With that settled, the three talked and played cards until late. Temari and Rika went into Rika's room to get ready for bed, while Kankuro was in the spare room. Gaara just stayed in the living room, meditating.

"Are you sure it's okay if I take your bed?" Temari asked once again as Rika gathered some extra blankets from the hall closet.

"If it wasn't okay, I wouldn't have offered and Kankuro would be sleeping on the couch. Besides, I have a rocking chair that's much more comfortable. Well, at least to me," Rika giggled. "Goodnight, Temari. I'll wake you up so you can freshen up before breakfast."

"Okay. Goodnight Rika," Temari hugged the younger girl before going to bed herself.

Rika exited the room and then went to say goodnight to Kankuro. She entered the guest room where the teen was sleeping and sighed. Kankuro had forgotten to wash off his face paint again before going to sleep. So it had smeared and gotten all over the pillows and blanket. Rika shook her head, deciding to do laundry the next day. She went to the adjoined bathroom to get a wet washcloth to clean the remaining paint off of Kankuro's face.

As she started to clean Kankuro's face, said teen started to groan, signaling that he was waking up. He opened his eyes slightly, barely making out who was standing over him.

"Wha' doin', Rika?" Kankuro mumbled, still half asleep. He reached up with one hand to rub his face, but Rika stopped him.

"Don't, you'll make a bigger mess. You forgot to wash your face again, so I'm cleaning the paint off so my bed linens don't get stained anymore than they already are. Stay still," Rika replied.

"M'kay, sorry 'bout the paint," Kankuro apologized before his eyes closed shut and he fell asleep again.

Rika smiled softly. After her mother was killed five years ago, Temari had taken her in. The older girl became a sister to Rika, and Kankuro became her childish older brother who still needed looking after, which was usually done by Rika. Actually, she probably took care of the two older kids than they took care of her.

Gaara had stayed her friend, although he had completely ignored her for five years, until they were put on the same team after graduation from the academy a few months earlier. Since then, the red-head had started to slowly warm up to her again.

"There, all better. Honestly, Kankuro, with the way I have to take care of you guys, people must think that I am the oldest, instead of you and Temari." Rika whispered to the sleeping teen, brushing his hair out of his face. She then rinsed the washcloth out before heading to the living room with her favorite, old blanket and her stuffed raccoon, Ai-chan.

"Goodnight, Gaara," Rika called, leaning out the window, to the red-headed jinchuuriki sitting on her rooftop, gazing at the moon. She then turned and settled herself in the rocking chair that had once belonged to her mother. After covering up with the blanket, Rika leaned back and fell asleep

"No, no. Don't, Yashamaru-san. No, Kaa-san! Gaara! NO!" Rika screamed the last part, waking herself up from the nightmare. Thankfully, Temari and Kankuro were hard sleepers, when in the village, and didn't hear here.

Gaara entered the room through the window to make sure no one was there. He froze when Rika jumped on him, tears streaming down her face.

"Gaara! I had a nightmare that you were killed with my Kaa-san. It was horrible!" Rika cried into the slightly older and taller boy's shoulder.

Gaara wrapped his arms around the distraught girl, walking over to the couch so he could sit and hold her. Rika's tears eventually stopped as she fell asleep again, but when Gaara tried to get up, he found out that Rika had a strong grip, even when she was sleeping. He couldn't break it without harming the sleeping girl, so he repositioned himself so he was in a more comfortable, relaxed position, with Rika, more or less, lying half-way on top of him.

"Ngh, no go. Comfy Gaara, love you," Rika mumble in her sleep, dreaming. Gaara, surprised at Rika's sleeping words, stared at the girl in question for a moment.

He thought about the first time Rika had gone to him when she had had a nightmare.

_Flashback_

_ Five year old Gaara was lying on his bed, looking up at the ceiling, when he heard footsteps sounding in the hall before stopping outside his door._

_ "Gaawa-tan? You 'wake?" Four year old Rika poked her head in through Gaara's partially opened door. Dried tears stained her face._

_ Gaara sat up and nodded, "Yeah, what's wrong, Rika-chan?" he asked as the little girl tottered over to his bed._

_ "Me had a bad dweam. Monstas twied to eated me 'gain. Me sweep wif you? Kaa-san gone an' Yasha-tan no 'wake. Pwease?" Rika looked at Gaara, her big, coal eyes glistening with unshed tears._

_ "Okay, you can sleep with me," Gaara pulled back the covers on his bed so Rika could climb in, which she did promptly._

_ "Sank-you Gaawa-tan. You go sweep?" Rika asked._

_ "No, I can't sleep," Gaara replied, frowning._

_ "Why?"_

_ "'Cuz I have a big, bad raccoon trapped inside me. And if I sleep, he'll take over and hurt people."_

_ "A waccoon? Like Ai-chan?" Rika perked up at the mention of her favorite animal._

_ "Uh-huh, but much bigger and scarier," Gaara said._

_ "Dis big?" Rika held her arms far apart._

_ "Bigger, but don't worry. I won't let him hurt you or anyone else, okay? Go to sleep, Rika," he ordered after the small girl gave a huge yawn._

_ "Otay,*yawn* g'nigh', Gaawa-tan." Rika murmured,her eyes closed. Moments later, her breathing evened out, signaling that she was asleep. _

_ Not long after, Gaara found it hard to stay awake, so he, too, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Shukaku, his demon, slept also, calmed by the presence of the sleeping four year old girl next to his host._

_End Flashback_

Gaara remembered being awakened by the flash of a camera as Nana captured the moment on film after she returned that morning from a mission.

He was brought out of his reminiscing by Rika's movements.

"Hm? Gaara?" She said sleepily.

Gaara nodded, "Go to sleep, Rika. Everything's okay," he murmured in her ear.

"M'kay. You're really comfy, Gaara." Rika mumbled, falling back asleep.

Once again, Gaara quickly found it hard to stay awake and soon fell asleep.

Then next morning, Rika was woken up by someone gently shaking her. She opened her eyes and blearily looked at who was waking her up. "T'mari? What's wrong?" She asked, seeing Temari's alarmed face.

"What's wrong?" Temari repeated. "Do you know where you are sleeping?" She whispered. "Besides, you slept in! I was worried."

"Temari, shut up." Gaara spoke, opening his eyes.

Rika then realized where she had been sleeping. She quickly got up, blushing. "I'm so sorry Gaara!" She exclaimed.

Gaara gave her a dry look that said, 'No, you're not.' "Hn," He sat up and stretched. He caught Temari's eye and looked at her as if to say 'What?'

Temari shook her head. "Whatever. Rika, are you going to fix breakfast?"

Rika sighed, "Yeah. Just be patient, or be nice and get it started."

The two siblings looked at her in shock. "Rika, have you ever seen or tasted my cooking?" Temari questioned.

"Um, well... No?" Rika answered.

"*Yawn* She's trying to tell you she can't cook, Rika." Kankuro spoke, standing in the doorway of the guest room. "That's why you usually cook on overnight missions."

Understanding crossed Rika's face. "Well, why didn't you say so? C'mon, I'll teach you!" She exclaimed, dragging Temari by the arm into the kitchen.

Kankuro sighed, "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?" He asked, glancing at his younger brother.

Gaara stared back, his dry look saying, 'You think?'

_I hope this slightly longer chapter makes up for killing Nana-chan [just a wee bit?]. And I know that the characters are pretty OOC, sorry if it bothers you. But I can't really help it. ^_^; Please review!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Hey everyone! Here's the next installment of Sand Lullaby! Sorry for the long wait. But here it is! Hope you like it!_

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Twenty minutes later, a scream from the kitchen had Kankuro and Gaara running to the source. Gaara got there first, as he had been meditating in the living room, while Kankuro had gone back upstairs to take a nap. Both were shocked to see Rika just entering the house, her arms laden with grocery bags.

"What happened? Did Temari scream?" Rika asked, dropping the bags in her haste to reach the kitchen.

Kankuro shrugged, "Dunno, we just heard her scream. Hey, Temari, is everything okay?" He cautiously entered the kitchen in front of Rika and Gaara. "What the heck happened in here?" He gaped at the sight that greeted them.

Rika gasped, "What? I was only gone for ten minutes!" The kitchen was was a mess. It looked like a bag of flour had exploded and then got sprayed with water, leaving behind the white, pasty residue. A few plates were scattered, one or two broken. Rika didn't see anything else, as her vision went black. She passed out from the shock of the mess. Before she was completely unconscious, though, she heard Temari yell her name and she felt sand catch her before she hit the floor.

"Rika!" Temari reached for the younger girl, but she knew she wouldn't be able to catch her. Thankfully, Gaara had his sand catch the brunette before her head hit the tiled floor.

"Temari, how did you make such a mess?" Gaara questioned, his sand positioning Rika so she would be comfortable.

"Um, I tripped?" Temari replied, her cheeks becoming rosy. Gaara just stared.

"Guys, shouldn't we take care of Rika first and then figure out how Temari spilled flour everywhere?" Kankuro spoke up, mildly amused at what was going on before him.

Temari shook her head lightly as if to clear it. "Right, Kankuro, you start cleaning the kitchen, while Gaara and I get Rika comfortable in her bed. Do you want to take care of an unconscious girl, Kankuro?" She glared at said brother when he opened his mouth to protest to having to clean. He shook his head quickly, not wanting to anger Temari. Temari smirked, "Thought not."

Meanwhile during this little exchange, Gaara had been watching Rika and noticed that she was slowly coming to. "Ugh, what happened?" Rika tried to sit up before realizing that Gaara's sand was holding her. "Um, Gaara? Could you let go? I can stand on my own."

Gaara unwillingly ordered his sand to slowly drop, making sure Rika could stand on her own before calling the sand back completely. Temari and Kankuro turned to the younger girl when she spoke.

"Rika! Are you okay? I'm so sorry about the mess. You see I-" Temari started to explain before Rika held up her hand, smiling.

"It's okay Temari," She assured the blond kunoichi. "I once made a bigger mess when I was attempting to cook for the first time when I was six. Oh, that was interesting." Rika laughed at the memory. Gaara mentally smirked, also remembering.

_Flashback_

_ "Rika-chan, are you sure this is okay?" A seven-year-old Gaara asked six-year-old Rika._

_ Rika blew her dark brown bangs out of her eyes before replying, "Of course! I've watch Kaa-san do this tons of times! C'mon. Aren't you gonna help me make Kaa-san breakfast? It's her birthday."_

_ Gaara nodded. He would do anything for Nana-chan. Rika grinned. "Great!" She gave Gaara a kiss on the cheek. The cyan-eyed boy blushed darkly, smiling shyly at his brunette friend._

_ "Gaara-kun, will you use your sand to get that bowl, please?" Rika asked a few minutes later, pointing at a mixing bowl above both their heads._

_ And so begins the disaster that would later be referred to as "The First Cooking Incident."_

_ Nana had rushed to the kitchen a half-hour later when she heard a crash and smelled something burning. The sight that greeted her had her leaning on the door frame for support as she was bent over laughing. "What are the two of you doing?" She asked when she had stopped laughing enough to speak. Gaara and Rika were covered in pancake batter because Rika had dropped the bowl holding the mixture as she was trying to pour some on the frying pan. The burning smell was from the bacon that was now burned to a blackened crisp._

_ Rika's lip quivered as she answered. "I only wanted to make you breakfast. Gaara-kun was helping me. I'm sorry!" She started to cry. Gaara, careful of the broken bowl, took the few steps between them and wrapped his arms around the younger girl in an attempt to comfort her._

_ Nana smiled, walking over to the children. "Oh, Rika, I'm not mad." She hugged the two children, uncaring that she was getting pancake batter all over her clothes. "Now, how about you two go clean yourselves up and I will clean the kitchen and then make breakfast, okay?"_

_ Gaara and Rika nodded. They quickly fled the scene to wash and change clothes._

_ Later, laughter was heard as Nana relayed what happened to Yashamaru._

_End Flashback_

"Needless to say, Gaara and I were never allowed to be in the kitchen without supervision." Rika smiled, telling Kankuro and Temari what had happened as they finished cleaning. Temari tried to cover her grin, while Kankuro was flat out laughing.

As Rika was about to continue speaking, there was a knock at the door. She looked towards the entrance, confused. "Who in the world could that be?" The brunette muttered, obsidian eyes narrowing, as she walked to answer the door. "Hello? Baki-sensei?"

"Hello Rika-san. Is the rest of the team here?" Baki asked politely.

Rika nodded, "Yeah, come on in." She stepped aside, letting Baki enter. "Would you like some tea, Sensei?" Rika asked.

Baki nodded, "Yes, tea would be nice." Rika nodded again before heading to the kitchen to prepare the tea.

"Good, you're all here. As you know, the Chuunin Exams are coming up and are taking place in Konohagakure. The Kazekage has given us a mission. He wants us to go to the exams and participate, but we must also partake in an attack on the village." Baki informed the four Genin on his team once Rika returned with the tea. "Unfortunately, one of you cannot go as a participant. Only four man squads are allowed, and as your leader, I am automatically one of the four."

"What!" "That's not fair!" "Why?"

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><p><em>Oh no! What's gonna happen next? Find out next time on Sand Lullaby! Reviews? Ja ne! -Elfgurl96 n_n<em>


	9. Chapter 8

_**Hey ya'll! Here's chapter eight! Enjoy! :)**_

_**Disclaimer: Do you think I own Naruto? If I did, don't you think I wouldn't be writing fanfiction? Goodness, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters from said show.**_

**Chapter 8**

Baki held up his hand, earning instant silence. "Only three Genin and one Jounin leader per squad. However, that does not mean that the fifth person cannot go. He or she just cannot participant in the exams. If something changes, I will let you as soon as I find out. I will leave it to the four of you to decide who will not take part." With that, Baki set down his cup and stood to leave. "Thank you for the tea, Rika-san." He said at the door before exiting. The sound of the closing door echoed through the silent house.

"Well, what do we do?" Kankuro asked, breaking the silence.

"I think it's quite obvious. You three will take part in the Chuunin Exams. I'll go and watch." Rika answered.

"What? Don't you want to be a Chuunin?" Temari was shocked.

"Yes, but I am the youngest on the team, so I can wait." Rika explained.

"No," Gaara shook his head. "If you aren't going to be in the exams, I won't either."

Rika smiled softly at her red-headed friend. "Gaara," she started before she was interrupted.

"No. The only way I'll go is if you are going." Gaara's glare left no room for argument.

"Neither will I. If one of us can't be in the exams, none of us will." Kankuro said, and Temari nodded.

Rika sighed. "Fine, I'll go talk to Baki-sensei about it. Maybe they can make an exception for us. I'll be back!" She walked out the door, Gaara following close behind.

Temari laughed as she watched the two leave. "I wonder when Gaara will realize how he feels about Rika."

Kankuro nodded in agreement. "I know. I think he and Rika are the only two who don't know. But, does he know how Rika feels about him?" He asked.

Temari shrugged. Who knew? The only reason she and Kankuro knew was because they had watched how Rika was always nice and friendly to Gaara, even when the jinchūriki was cold and distant after Yashamaru's betrayal and Nana's death. Without Rika, Gaara, most likely, would have turned homicidal like the demon trapped inside him.

"Gaara, why are you following me?" Rika asked after the two had been walking for five minutes.

"Hn," Gaara glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Anyone else wouldn't know what the boy was thinking and saying in his own way, but Rika did. The brunette grinned. Gaara was worried and making sure she would be okay.

"I'm not going to faint again. You know that, right?" Rika stopped and turned to look into cyan eyes. She could easily get lost in those eyes if she wasn't careful.

Gaara, in turn, was staring into twin pools of obsidian. He would never admit it, but Rika's eyes had always intrigued him, since they were little children. Her eyes reflected her mood. When she was upset or angered, they would turn a flat black, and when she was happy and calm, her eyes would sparkle with flecks of blue and silver.

Unconsciously, both preteens had started leaning towards each other. Just when their noses were almost touching, Rika jerked back, finally realizing what was going on. She looked away, blushing, and tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Sorry," she murmured, barely loud enough for Gaara to hear.

Gaara was shocked, but his shock was only visible to those who knew him really well. What had just happened?

_**Isn't that obvious? You almost kissed Rika-chan.**_

Gaara growled at the tanuki. _Who asked you? _But he got no reply.

Rika was starting to worry. Gaara had growled for no reason, unless Shukaku was bothering him again. "Gaara?" She tentatively placed her hand on the silent boy's arm. "Gaara, are you okay?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Rika. "I'm fine."

Rika nodded, pulling her hand back. "Well, then we should continue to Baki-sensei's. C'mon." She started walking again, gently dragging the older boy by the hand, her cheeks red.

"Rika-san, Gaara-san, it's nice to see you so soon. But something tells me this isn't a social call." Baki opened the door to let the two Genin into his house.

"Yes. We've made a decision as a team. I offered to be the one that doesn't participate, but that was quickly shot down. We've decided that if one of us can't be in the Chuunin Exams, none of us will." Rika explained as they all took a seat in Baki's living room.

Baki was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly started laughing. Rika and Gaara stared at him as if he had lost it. "Baki-sensei?" Rika spoke, a bit worried for her teacher's sanity. Had instructing the Sand siblings and her finally made the Jounin crack?

After a few minutes, Baki stopped laughing. "That is what I was hoping to hear. However, there will be no need for any of you to stay out of the exams. It was a test. As it is, there is another five-man squad in Konoha. So, you can tell Temari-san and Kankuro-san that you all can start packing. We need to leave in two days. Also, there will be no training tomorrow, to allow you time to get ready. But, you can train on your own if you want." Baki explained.

Rika had a huge grin on her face as she stood to embrace Baki, but she stopped. Her sensei had that aura that screamed "Death to huggers!" Although, she had been able to hug the male once when she was younger, but it hadn't happened again since then. So, she settled for bowing. "Thank you, Baki-sensei! Come on, Gaara, let's go tell Temari and Kankuro!" She grabbed the red-head's hand and was dragging him once again.

Baki chuckled as he watched the two leave. That Rika would get excited over the smallest of things. He was grateful she was assigned to his team when she graduated from the academy. But, he was worried. How would she be able to handle attacking Konohagakure? She had maintained her innocence, even though her mother was killed in front of her. She had trouble killing. He would have to keep an eye on her.

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><p><em><strong>So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Please review!<strong>_


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Temari, Kankuro! Start packing! We leave in two days!" Rika yelled happily when she entered her house, dragging Gaara behind her.

Temari rushed into the room, Kankuro right behind her. "What? Where are we going?"

Rika sighed before starting again. "As you already know, Gaara and I went to talk to Baki-sensei. Well, I went and Gaara followed me. Anyways, Baki-sensei said that we all could go and that it was a test. He wanted to see how we would react if one of us couldn't be in the exams, or something like that. So, we're going to Konoha! We leave in two days, so you might want to start packing. Oh, and there's no team training for now."

Temari squealed, grabbing Rika's hands and started jumping up and down with the younger girl. "Yay! New shops to look at!"

Both boys groaned at the thought of Temari dragging them shopping, but Kankuro was the only one to groan out loud. Gaara wasn't so dumb to do that and risk Temari's wrath. _'Idiot'_ he thought when Temari turned to Kankuro with fire in her eyes.

"What was that, dear brother?" She asked, knuckles cracking.

"Nothing, dearest sister of mine." Kankuro laughed, weakly. Temari smirked and turned around.

"That's what I thought."

So, two days later found the three siblings and Rika waiting at the city gate for their sensei.

Kankuro stifled a yawn. "Why did we have to get up so early? The sun isn't even up yet." He stood next to Rika and laid his arms and head on the younger and shorter girl's head. "I'm so tired!"

Rika laughed, deciding to be nice and let the older boy she saw as a brother use her as a leaning post. "Kankuro, getting up before at least ten in the morning is early for you. Besides, this way we get to see the sun rise as a team. It'll be worth sacrificing your sleep, I promise."

Kankuro yawned again, closing his eyes. "Okay, if you say so, little sister." Then he dozed off, trying to get some more sleep before Baki arrived.

Gaara growled, he didn't like Kankuro leaning on Rika like that. Rika heard the red-head's noise and looked over with a smile. She reached out her hand, silently asking Gaara to take her hand. Gaara stared at the offered appendage for a moment before stepping closer and taking the younger girl's hand in his own. He was rewarded with a big smile.

After a few minutes, Rika decided that Kankuro needed to move. "Kankuro? Could you please move? You're getting heavy. Kankuro?" She sighed when the teen gave no answer. Then, a smirk formed and she pulled Gaara closer and whispered something in his ear. Temari, meanwhile, was watching everything with all-knowing eyes.

The scene Baki walked onto moments later was quite funny. Kankuro was suspended in the air by his ankle, compliments of Gaara's sand. Holding back a chuckle, he asked, "What is going on?"

Rika smiled innocently, "Well, Kankuro decided to use me as a leaning post for longer than I thought was necessary. And since he was asleep and wouldn't wake up, I asked Gaara for help getting him off me." Her smile turned to a smirk. "Are you awake now, _big brother_?"

"Haha, Rika. Will you let me down now?" Kankuro was not a happy camper, to say the least. "It hurts! I can feel my head swelling."

Temari laughed at that, "Oh, no. It was like that before."

Baki chuckled, "As amusing as this is, you need to let Kankuro-san down so we can get moving. We're on a bit of a tight schedule."

Rika sighed, pouting. "Fine. Okay, Gaara, you can let him down now. It was fun while it lasted!" She took off running, because as soon as Kankuro was standing, he started chasing her. "I'll see you all later!" The eleven year old was laughing as she led the fourteen year old chasing her out of the village and in the direction of Konoha. Baki, Temari, and Gaara followed the two, quickly catching up and matching their speeds.

An hour later, Rika suddenly stopped, causing the rest of her team to pause also. "Rika, what's wrong?" Temari asked, silently grateful for the pause.

The young girl merely started searched the nearby sand dunes, looking for the biggest and sturdiest looking one, always glancing to the east as if watching for someone or something.

Gaara immediately understood what was going on and quickly used his sand manipulation to form a sand dune large and sturdy enough to hold all five of them.

"What is going on?" Temari was getting frustrated. "Do you two know something I don't?" She turned to Kankuro and Baki. Kankuro shook his head, confused as to what the two younger team members were doing.

"It's a tradition Takashi-sama started." Baki replied. "She would take Rika-san and Gaara-san to see the sunrise when they were young. I'm guessing both continued to do so each morning, even after Takashi-sama died."

"Wait, why do you call Nana-chan 'Takashi-sama'?" Temari was getting more confused by the second.

Baki sighed. "I'll tell you all at a later time."

Rika finally turned her attention back to the rest of her team. "Well, are you going to join us? You can continue going. Gaara and I will catch up later." She started up Gaara's sand dune, quickly reaching the top and taking a seat. Gaara was sitting next to her in no time.

Temari shrugged, "Might as well." She headed to join her youngest brother and best friend.

"Kankuro, you're staying. I promised that this would be worth sacrificing your sleep, so get up here." Rika called, noticing the teen was unsure as to what he should do. "I saved you a seat." She patted the sand next to her. Kankuro grinned, quickly taking his seat next to Rika. "Baki-sensei, are you going to watch?"

Their teacher nodded, but stayed where he was. "I'll be fine here," he reassured his youngest student. As his team was entranced by the rising sun, Baki was remembering similar times from his past.

_Flashback_

_ "Baki-kun, wait up!" A twelve year old Nana ran to catch up with her teammate, twelve year old Baki. She stopped to catch her breath once reaching her silent teammate. "Sensei said to meet her at the cliffs tomorrow before sunrise. And that we should go to bed early so we can be up in time." _

_ Baki watched his timid female teammate in amusement and with softened eyes. "Okay. Is that all?"_

_ Nana nodded, then looked to the ground, a pink dusting on her cheeks. She wouldn't ever admit it if asked, but she a slight crush on the boy in front of her. She had since they had been assigned to the same team a year ago._

_ Baki looked at the girl with worry. "Nana-chan, are you okay?" He placed a hand on her forehead, checking for a fever. "You look flushed." He tilted her face up to see her better._

_ Nana jerked away in surprise at the contact and closeness. "Y-yeah, I'm fine!" She silently cursed herself for stuttering. _'Ugh, I thought I stopped that!' _Lost in thought, the female did not notice her crush leaning closer until their noses were almost touching. She jumped in surprise at feeling Baki's warm breath fan her face._

_ "Are you sure, Nana?" Baki notice the girl's blush worsen at his lack of adding a suffix to her name. He almost smirked, having realized that his only and remaining teammate had a crush on him. The poor girl could only nod, obviously not trusting herself to speak. Baki shrugged. "Okay then. I'll be on my way. Ja," he waved goodbye over his shoulder as he walked away. _

_ The next morning, before dawn, both Genin met their Jounin sensei at the cliffs, as ordered. "Good morning team! Just in time, too! Hurry and take a seat. It's about to start!" The woman, known as Emiko Tanaka, greeted cheerfully._

_ "Good morning, Tanaka-sensei," Nana shyly returned the greeting. Baki nodded a hello._

_ "Nana-chan, what have I said about calling me Tanaka-sensei?" Emiko playfully glared at her female student._

_ "That I'm not supposed to call you that." Nana mumbled, eyes downcast. "And that I should call you Emiko-sensei."_

_ "Correct!" The older woman grinned, standing and giving the young girl a hug. "Now, sit!" She let go of Nana and sat down, patting the spot next to her. Nana did so, hesitantly. Emiko glared at Baki when he wouldn't sit down. "Baki, sit down."_

_ Baki sighed before taking a seat on the other side of Nana, the latter trying to hide behind her dark brown hair. Emiko smiled at the two, silently awing at the cute couple they made. "Now that we're all seated, look over there and watch." She pointed to the eastern horizon overlooking Sunagakure._

_ "Sensei, what are we watching for exactly?" Baki asked, not seeing the use of watching the sky. "How does this benefit our training?"_

_ Emiko sighed. "Baki-kun, must everything we do be about training? You'll know what you're looking for when you see it. Just keep watching, okay? It will be worth sacrificing your sleep, I promise."_

_ "Okay..." The boy was still unsure. His sensei must have lost it._

_ Nana gasped, drawing the attention of her sensei and teammate. "Look! It's beautiful! Is that what we are watching, Emiko-sensei?" She pointed to where the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. The sky was starting to lighten from dark blue to a soft reddish color._

_ Emiko grinned. "Yes! That's exactly what we're looking for! Isn't it wonderful? Good eye, Nana-chan," she wrapped an arm around her female student in a sideways hug._

_ "It's just a sunrise." Baki said, bored._

_ "Just a sunrise? It's a wonder of nature! Do you know how many people stop and take time out of their busy lives to just sit and watch a sunrise or sunset like we are? Not too many anymore. The purpose of this is to take time before you start your busy day to relax and think about life, how you want to live and how you want others to view you. I want you two to watch the sunrise regularly. It doesn't have to be everyday, but maybe once a week or something. Would you do that for me?" Emiko asked, turning to look at Nana and Baki._

_ Nana nodded vigorously. "Yes Emiko-sensei!" Baki just shrugged, knowing that Nana would drag him along anyways._

_ Emiko gave them a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling. "I'm glad. Now, let's finish watching Mother Nature's show." And with that, the three faced east and watched with interest and in comfortable silence for another hour until the sun had completely cleared the horizon. _

_ Afterward, the three went and ate breakfast as a team before training. _

_End Flashback_

"Oooh, it's beautiful!" Temari gasped, seeing the sun start to peek above the horizon.

Rika nodded, "I know. Mom started to take us to see the sunrise about a week before she died. I try to see it every morning I can." She sighed, a bit sad.

Gaara noticed the sadness clinging to Rika and manipulated a bit of sand to grasp the upset girl's hand. He was relieved when his only friend smiled at his way of comforting her. Ever since they were little, Rika had been entranced by his sand.

Rika looked down in surprise when she felt sand start to encase her hand, but then she realized that Gaara was using her weakness to make her feel better. She smiled at the boy before leaning her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Gaara. For everything," she whispered.

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><p><em><strong>O.o Wow, that's long! Hey readers, please leave reviews. I like the favorites and all, but I got only one review in the last chapter. Even if you just say great job, or a smiley face, it helps me to know that people are actually reading this. Ja mata!<strong>_


	11. Chapter 10

_**Hey, it's me again! Here's Chapter 10! ^_^**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

A few days later, the team from Suna finally reached the gates of Konoha for the Chuunin Exams. After checking in at the gates and the hotel, Baki went off somewhere, leaving his students to their own devices. Temari immediately dragged Kankuro and Rika to the nearest store, while Gaara stayed behind to meditate.

"Temari, stop! You're going to tear my arm off if you keep dragging me." Kankuro whined, dreading his fate. Temari ignored him and continued to pull him until they reached a clothing store.

"C'mon! In here," the blonde entered the store, Kankuro following against his own will. He glanced at Rika, silently pleading for help.

Rika laughed. "I'm going to go check out the bookstore across the street, okay? Bye!" She told Temari before crossing the street to investigate the interesting-looking bookstore.

"Hello, young miss. Can I help you?" The older man behind the counter greeted as the brunette entered the store.

Rika smiled, "No, I'm just browsing." She headed to the back of the store where the familiar chakra signal was coming from. She had noticed it as soon as she and her team had entered the village. She blushed when she realized the section she was heading to: the Adult Literature.

"Aren't you a bit young to be reading these books?" A male voice asked from behind. Rika turned quickly, her hand poised to draw a kunai from her weapon pouch. The man held his hands up in surrender. "Easy, now. I'm sorry if I surprised you, but you don't usually find children in this part of the store."

Rika relaxed slightly, her hand hanging at her side. "It's okay. I was just looking for someone."

"Oh? Who might you be looking for?" The man raised an eyebrow. His face was mostly covered, except for his right eye and the surrounding area. His silver hair stuck up at an unusual angle away from his head. The lower half of his face was covered by a mask, while his left eye was covered by his hitai-ate.

"I'm not really sure who. I was following a chakra signal that seemed familiar." Rika smiled sheepishly, suddenly finding the floor interesting to look at.

The silver-haired man chuckled. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No, sir. I'm here with my team for the Chuunin Exams. My name's Rika Takashi," she held out her hand.

The man shook her hand. "I'm Kakashi Hatake. Would your mother happen to be Nana Takashi?"

Rika drew back, shocked. "How did you know my mother?"

Kakashi looked strangely at the girl before him. "Few are in the shinobi business and don't hear of the Cold-Blooded Terror of the Sand. I consider her one of my friends. How is she?"

Rika frowned. Her mother, the sweetest lady, was _the _Cold-Blooded Terror of the Sand? "She died, five years ago next month."

Kakashi's face fell, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." He shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting the daughter of a close friend. I'll be seeing you around, Rika-chan." The man waved, his eye crinkling in a smile. Rika watched the man leave, confused.

"Wait, he was the chakra source I was following!" She smacked herself on the forehead, quickly following Kakashi. But, instead of finding the man, she came across her teammates. Kankuro was holding a little kid off the ground by his neck, Temari just standing and watching with a worried look. There was also a blonde boy being held back by a pink-haired girl and another girl with black hair. Two other little kids watched with scared looks.

"Kankuro! Just what do you think you are doing? Put him down, now." Rika ordered the older teen, an icy glare on her face.

Kankuro looked to see who was behind him and gulped. "Okay. Sorry Rika, but they started it." He dropped the boy and the other kids ran to see if he was okay.

"Shut up Kankuro, before I kill you. You're a disgrace." That was Gaara; he had used his sand to appear in the tree next to them. He then dropped down to stand next to Rika. A black-haired boy with chicken-styled hair also got down from the tree to stand next to the others across from the Sand Genin.

"R-right, Gaara. Sorry," Kankuro stuttered, scared.

Rika turned to the little boy that Kankuro had tried choking. "Are you okay? I'm sorry for how my teammate acted." She apologized, knowing that Kankuro wouldn't. "Here, let me see," She tilted the boy's head to see his throat. She saw the bruises starting to show and frowned, forming healing chakra in her hand and placing the hand on the boy's throat, instantly healing the bruises. She smiled at the boy before turning to her team.

"Kankuro! What were you thinking? And Temari! Why didn't you stop him? o you know what could have happened if I didn't stop you when I did? You could have killed the boy and ruined all chances of keeping peace between our village and Konoha! You idiots!" She ranted, glaring. "And you," She pointed to Gaara. "Don't threaten your siblings with death!"

Temari and Kankuro looked apologetic, while Gaara just glared at the younger girl. They knew she was right, but Gaara didn't care to be bossed around by anyone. If it was anybody else besides Rika, they would be dead by now.

The brunette from Suna turned to the kids behind her, her mood instantly changing. "Well, I'll be seeing you all. Bye!" She turned and grabbed Kankuro and Gaara by the arm and dragged them back in the direction to the hotel, Temari following behind.

"Wait! What's your name?" The black-haired boy asked, stepping forward. The Sand Genin stopped and turned around.

"Who, me?" Temari asked, fluttering her eyes at the boy.

He scoffed, "No, the boy with gourd and the other girl." Temari's face fell, causing Kankuro to chuckle and Rika giggled.

Gaara looked the boy in the eye. "My name is Sabaku no Gaara, and this is Rika Takashi. And you?"

"Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha."

"Hey, I bet you're dying to know my name, right? I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki!" The blonde boy exclaimed enthusiastically.

Gaara stared at the boy for a moment, "I could care less." He wrapped a possessive and protective arm around Rika when he noticed the way Uchiha was looking at her, like a piece of meat.

Rika giggled at the way the blonde's face fell. "Nice to meet you Naruto. Who are you two?" She directed the last part to the two unnamed girls.

The pinkette stepped forward, "I'm Sakura Haruno."

"And I'm Kei Himura. I'm gonna be Hokage someday!" The black-haired girl grinned.

Naruto whipped around. "No, you're not! I'm going to be Hokage!"

Kei laughed, "Yeah right! Who in their right mind would pick you as Hokage when they could choose me?" The two were toe to toe. Sakura stepped up behind them and whacked their heads together.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Sakura chastised before turning to the Sand nin. "Why are you guys here? Yes, our villages are allies, but the ninja can't come and go as they please."

Temari scoffed. "These are the Leaf Genin? Don't you know anything? We're here for the Chuunin Exams." She flashed her passport as proof. The others showed theirs as well.

"The... Chuunin Exams?" Naruto tested the words, confused.

"The exams for Genin to become Chuunin. Our team was chosen from our village." Rika explained, smiling. She wanted to get to know Naruto better. He seemed like a great person to have as a friend.

"C'mon, Rika, we need to check in with Baki-sensei." Gaara tugged at the girl, his arm still around her waist. Rika looked at him strangely but didn't say anything as she waved goodbye to the Leaf Genin.

"Bye Rika-chan, see ya later!" Naruto yelled, waving back enthusiastically. Kei smacked him upside the head, waving with her other hand, but not as energetically as the blonde.

Rika giggled, "Bye Naruto-kun." When the Suna team were far enough away, she turned to the red-head that still had his arm around her middle. What was wrong with him? Gaara was never this touchy-feely, even as a child. "Gaara, what's wrong? We don't have to check in with Baki-sensei until dinnertime."

Temari and Kankuro turned to listen because they were also curious in their brother's actions.

Gaara frowned. "I didn't like the way that Uchiha was looking at you. He was staring at you like you were a piece of meat and he wanted to eat you. But you're not his, you're mine!" He growled, a bit of Shukaku's influence slipping through.

_**Let's go back and kill him. How dare he even look at our Rika-chan like that!**_ The demon snarled, enraged and trying to get loose. Gaara let go of Rika and gripped his head. "No, no. You can't get out." He choked out, fighting the tanuki for control.

"Gaara, are you okay?" Rika cautiously placed a hand on the boy's back, unsure of what she should do. When Gaara didn't react, Rika gently and slowly turned the jinchūriki so he was facing her and cradled his cheek. This time, Gaara unconsciously leaned into the touch.

"Rika? Will you be okay if Kankuro and I go ahead to the hotel?" Temari asked, fear lacing her voice. At the nod from the younger girl, Temari quickly dragged her make-up wearing brother off to where they were staying.

"Gaara, talk to me, please. I want to help you," Rika looked into eyes full of pain and suffering. Cyan was starting to turn yellow. "Gaara, please don't give up. I believe in you. And about that chicken-haired boy, I would never willingly go anywhere with him, not unless you were there. Honestly, I find him a bit scary and freaky. I promise I will never, ever leave you." She removed her hand from Gaara's cheek and held back a giggle when the boy frowned and growled at the lost of contact before wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his chest.

Slowly, Shukaku started to calm down at the contact with the brunette girl. In turn, Gaara started to relax and returned the hug. "Thank you, Rika," He murmured into the shorter girl's hair. Rika pulled back a bit to grace the red-head with a smile.

"You're welcome. Should we head to the hotel to meet up with Temari and Kankuro?" Gaara nodded, reluctantly releasing his hold.

Rika grasped Gaara's hand in her own and started to head to where they were staying. Fifteen minutes later, the two entered the hotel suite assigned to the Sand Siblings, Rika, and Baki. Temari looked up from making minor repairs on her fan, relief evident in her expression.

"There you two are! Kankuro and I were starting to get worried!" The blonde kunoichi rushed to embrace Rika and hesitated before also including Gaara in the hug.

"Temari, they need to breath at some point in order to keep living." Kankuro muttered loud enough for his sister to hear as he entered the room. He flinched at the icy glare he got from his older sibling as Rika and Gaara were released.

"Shut up Kankuro!" Temari yelled, her face turning red. She chased after Kankuro, trying to main her brother in some way. Kankuro laughed and ran.

Rika giggled at the antics of the two teens. She leaned back against the wall, smiling._ 'If only we could stay like this,'_ she wished fervently. The brunette felt the weight of Gaara's stare on her and turned to acknowledge the red-haired boy. "Do you need something, Gaara?"

"Why? Why aren't you scared of me like Temari, Kankuro, and everyone else?" The twelve year old asked, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. Even when he had killed mercilessly in front of the younger girl, Rika had never shown fear. It bothered and confused the jinchūriki to no end.

Rika sighed and was silent for a moment before answering. "You ask why I am not scared of you, but do you ever ask the others why they are scared? You have never shown me reason to be scared _of_ you. I know that you would never harm me on purpose, so why should I be frightened? But don't think I'm not scared, because I am, just not in the way others are. I'm scared _for _you. I'm scared that, someday, you might not be able to hold Shukaku off and end up losing your sanity and who you are." _'And how could I be scared of the one I love?'_ But of course, she did not voice this out loud, for fear of losing the friendship she had worked so hard to rebuild with the silent boy. "I trust you, Gaara. With my life."

Before anything else could be said between the two, Kankuro strolled nonchalantly back in the room, Temari nowhere in sight. "Rika, I'm hungry! What's for dinner?" The puppeteer took note of the blush on the girl he thought of as a little sister and he could almost cut the tension in the air. "Did something happen that I should know about?" He questioned suspiciously. "You two didn't do anything, did you?"

Rika's blush became more pronounced at the older boy's words. "No! Why would you think that, Kankuro?" She laughed nervously before asking where Temari was.

Kankuro shrugged, "I don't know. Last I knew, she was chasing a clone I-here she comes." He ducked, avoiding two shurikun that flew through the window, followed by an enraged blonde kunoichi.

"Kankuro, you idiot! You made me look like a fool! I ought to-" She paused and turned to Rika. "Why is your face red? Are you blushing? What happened? Tell me!"

Rika sighed, knowing that she had no choice but to tell the older girl. So she whispered what had occurred into the wind-user's ear, her blush intensifying.

Kankuro turned to his younger brother. "Do you know what she's saying?"

Gaara answered with a blank stare that said "And why should I tell you?" before turning and retreating to the room that he was assigned to.

The brunette boy sighed and went to his own room. He had better things to do, anyway, besides listen to the girls gossip. Like working on his puppets in preparation for the exams.

After Rika finished explaining what happened, Temari smiled softly, thanking whatever deity was listening that the young girl in front of her was part of their lives. Rika had done so much for the three siblings, and she probably didn't even realize it. The eleven year old had taken on the job of mothering them when she had moved in for a while after her mother died.

"Hey, how did you calm Gaara down earlier?" Temari asked, honestly curious. Rika was the only one to ever calm the boy down so Shukaku wouldn't get out and wreak havoc. In fact, Gaara could only sleep if he was near the brunette girl.

"I don't know, honestly. I just reacted on instinct. I have a feeling that Shukaku calms down if I'm in the vicinity or in contact with Gaara, but it's just a theory." Rika sighed, silently hoping that was true because it would mean that Gaara, or at least Shukaku, had some feelings for her. "Temari, what do we do if something happens during the exams and I can't get to Gaara?"

Temari shrugged. "I don't know, but don't worry about it. With you here, nothing could go wrong. You're our good luck charm." She smirked, gently elbowing the younger girl in the side. "If you worry too much, you'll get wrinkles and gray hair prematurely."

Rika gasped, remembering the man from the bookstore. "Oh my goodness! I totally forgot something! I'll be back in a while, promise." With that, she exited through the window, running down the side of the building.

"Rika, wait! Oh, never mind. What are we going to do with that girl?" Temari sighed, face palming. Kankuro peeked out his door, hearing the commotion.

"What's going on? Where did Rika go?"

"Oh, I don't know. She just up and left, saying she forgot something."

Unbeknownst to the two, Gaara had slipped out of the suite and was tailing Rika, thinking to himself. _'How could she leave without saying where she was going? What if something happened and we didn't know where to look for her?' __**Boy, it sounds like you like Rika-chan, and as more than a **__**friend. **_Shukaku cackled, getting a kick out of annoying his host into insanity.

_'Shut up. I'm trying to concentrate.'_ Gaara snarled in his head to the demon. Shukaku answered with another evil chuckle.

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><p><em><strong>So, what did you think? Please review! For the past few chapter, I've only had one person reviewing. Thanks NC. Rose!<br>Peace out! n_n ~Elfgurl96**_


	12. Chapter 11

_**Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is short, but I'm working on the next one right now and will try to make it longer! Enjoy**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

Rika stopped every now and then to check for the man- no, Kakashi Hatake's chakra. After a few minutes, the Suna Genin found herself hiding in a tree, having found Kakashi Hatake standing silently in front of a memorial stone. Not long after, the silver-haired man turned to the tree she was in.

"I know you're there, Rika-chan. There's no use hiding yourself. You've been tracking me for quite a while. Congratulations on actually finding me. Not too many have." His visible eye creased in a smile. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Rika nodded. "I have some questions that I think you can answer. How did you know my mother? And why do you seem so familiar to me?"

Kakashi chuckled, "Well, you certainly don't beat around the bush, do you? I should ask you a question so I can answer yours. How much do you know about your mother?" Rika looked sheepishly at him before saying she didn't really know much about Nana. Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the sky. "This could take a while, but I'll try to shorten the answer as much as possible. Would you tell your friend to stop hiding? I'm not going to hurt either of you, I give you my word."

Rika flared her chakra to find out who had followed her. She immediately recognized the chakra signature. "Gaara, you can come out now." Moments later, said redhead materialized from the sand next to his teammate. Kakashi carefully hid his surprise at the sudden appearance.

"Okay, but first, tell me how she died." Kakashi mentally prepared himself for the answer.

Rika and Gaara both stiffened, remembering clearly what had happened almost five years ago. "Are you sure you want to know? It's not a pretty story." At Kakashi's nod, Rika continued. She shared every detail, the night replaying vividly over and over in her mind. When she finished, her eyes were filled with unshed tears. Gaara silently offered his comfort, embracing the petite brunette's hand with his sand. Kakashi's eye drooped in sadness.

"I see. Well, she went out exactly like she wanted, protecting those she loved." The Jounin spoke after a moment of silence. "How old are you? Twelve?"

"No, I'm eleven. Gaara is twelve, though." Rika answered.

Kakashi nodded before continuing. "I met your mother about twelve years ago when I was returning home from an A-ranked mission. I was badly inured and stranded in the desert. A woman with a baby on her back found me and cared for my wounds. I stayed with her in Suna until all my wounds were completely healed. During my stay, we became close friends. After I went home, I only saw her a handful of times."

Rika was quiet and thinking about what she had just learned. "Why do you seem so familiar to me? I've never met you until today. At least I think I haven't seen you before."

Kakashi chuckled, "You were quite young last time I saw you. Probably only three or four. Well, I must be going. I've kept my team waiting long enough. Bye!" He raised his hand in a wave and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"I remember." Rika jumped, surprised by Gaara speaking up. "He was the one that got back your stuffed raccoon when the other kids had taken it."

Rika's eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. It's getting late, we should head back. Temari and Kankuro are probably looking for us." Gaara nodded and pulled her close, transporting them with his sand.

A moment later, the two appeared in the middle of their hotel room, making Temari and Kankuro jump. "Gaara! Don't do that!" Temari scolded, ignoring the glare she received from her youngest brother.

"Wow, that was awesome!" Rika exclaimed, her face lit up like a little child's on their birthday or Christmas. She clapped her hands in joy, a huge grin on her face. Kankuro chuckled at the young girl's reaction.

"Rika, are you sure that you're eleven years old?" The puppet user joked. Rika stuck her tongue out at the older boy.

"Quit being mean, Kankuro! Why don't you pick on someone else?" Onyx eyes glazed in fake tears as she mock pouted. Kankuro stepped back, a hint of fright in his eyes. Not because of Rika; well, not completely because of Rika. He was more scared of what Gaara would do to him if the brunette girl did start crying. Rika laughed, her fake tears falling with the force of her laughter. "Are you really scared of a crying girl, Kankuro?"

Temari held her hand over her mouth to try and cover her giggles. "And here I thought that you weren't scared of anything, little brother."

Kankuro scowled, his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Yeah, well so what?"

Rika just grinned and shook her head. "Hey, what do you guys want for dinner? I was thinking we could go out tonight." This earned nods and an exclamation of "Yeah!" from the others. Of course, one can guess that the exclamation was from Kankuro.

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><p><em><strong>So? Do you like it? Please review! Thanks to my reviewers from the last chapter! And I do try to reply to all reviews I get.<strong>_


	13. Chapter 12

_**Hey there! Here's the next chapter! Sorry if it's a bit shorter than others I've posted, but I had to cut it short, otherwise it would have gotten waayy too long. Enjoy! ^_^**_

**Chapter 12**

Ten minutes later, the quartet from the Sand village were heading to the ramen shop that had been recommended by the person behind the desk in their hotel. Rika had her arms looped through Gaara's and Kankuro's, and Temari was walking on the other side of Kankuro. The four walked in comfortable silence, listening to the chatter of the civilians around them.

"Here we are. Ichiraku's Ramen," Rika stated, stopping in front of their destination. The inside had a bar to sit at and eat with the kitchen on the other side.

"Rika-chan, hi! You can sit by me!" That was Naruto. He was waving like crazy at the brunette, causing the Sand Genin to giggle as she walked over. Sitting next to the loud-mouthed blonde was Kei, then Sakura, and Sasuke sat next to the pinkette.

"Hello, Naruto," Rika greeted, taking the empty seat next to Naruto, the rest of her team following.

"What are you four doing here?" Kei asked from on the other side of Naruto.

"Well, I didn't feel like cooking tonight and the clerk at the hotel where we are staying recommended this place. I decided that we should check it out and see if it beats my homemade ramen." Rika replied after ordering miso ramen for herself and Gaara. Temari and Kankuro ordered for themselves, of course, getting chicken and pork, respectively.

"This is the best ramen ever!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, earning a bonk on the head from Kei. "Kei, what was that for?" The blonde boy cried, his eyes filling with fake tears.

Kei laughed at the display. "Oh, man up, Naruto. Don't be so loud. Remember, use the inside voice we talked about last week. And the week before that." Naruto turned red, laughing sheepishly.

Rika giggled and was about to say something, but the food arrived. "Itadakimasu!" She quickly dug in. "Yum! This is good, don't you think so, Gaara?" She turned to the red-head sitting next to her. She frowned when she saw that the boy was glaring at someone, namely Sasuke Uchiha. Said Uchiha was glaring back. "Gaara!" That got the boys', as in both boys, attention. Sasuke spoke up first.

"You wanna go somewhere else Rika? I could show you around, since you're not from around these parts." He smirked. Rika's frown deepened for a moment, before her whole face lit up.

"That sounds like a great idea! You would do that? Give me and my team a tour of Konoha?" She grinned, reveling in the way the black-haired boy's face fell momentarily, too quick for the normal human eye. But she was used to picking up on quick and slight facial expressions; being on a team with Gaara would do that to a person.

"Actually, I was thinking just the two of us." Uchiha replied, wearing the smirk that had normal girls swooning and falling at his feet. But Rika was not a normal girl and did not fall for it.

"Oh, sorry I can't. See, my sensei said I have to be with at least one of my teammates at all times. He's a bit of a worry-wart." Rika lied through her teeth. Baki had said nothing of the sort, but Sasuke didn't know that. Temari hid a giggle behind her hand, while Kankuro almost choked on the ramen he had just put in his mouth.

"Careful there, Kankuro. We don't need you dying before the exams even start." Rika said, finishing her ramen in record time. She stood and stretched. "Ah, that was good. But not as good as Kaa-san's was. Well, see you all later. Gaara and I are gonna head back to the hotel, okay Temari?" The older girl nodded and waved good-bye, laughing at Kankuro, who had stopped choking by now. "Come on, Gaara," Rika called, exiting the stand. The red-head stood and followed, leaving enough money to cover the brunette's and his meal.

The pair walked in silence. It was late out and the sun had set, stars taking their place in the sky. Rika walked with her head angled up to see the stars, her hands linked behind her head. Gaara walked beside her, enjoying the silence and being in the petite girl's presence.

"Ne, aren't the stars beautiful?" Rika spoke when they reached where they were staying. Gaara looked up at the sky, studying the stars and the moon.

"Hn." They were quite beautiful tonight. But, they would have been even nicer back home in Suna.

Rika looked to her side. "Hey, we should sit on the roof and watch the sky. What do you think?" She had a smile on her face and Gaara couldn't refuse her proposition, so he nodded. Rika's smile grew and she linked arms with the silent boy.

After checking with Baki, Gaara used his sand to get to the roof while Rika still clung loosely to his arm. After the sand dropped, Rika laughed and spun around like a child. "That is amazing. I can't believe I've been missing out on that for all these years!" She exclaimed, a huge grin on her face. "Is it always like that?" She was, of course, talking about traveling with Gaara's sand.

Gaara just shrugged and removed his gourd before he sat down, motioning for Rika to follow suit. He was pleased that she wasn't repulsed by his sand, sand that was saturated with the blood of many, blood of innocents and blood of those that were not so innocent. He laid back and gazed at the sky, many thoughts racing through his head. Questions that had been plaguing the jinchūriki for a while. _'Why? Why does my heart beat faster when she smiles at me? How is that such a pure creature like her could be a friend with a blood-thirsty monster like me? What have you done to me, Rika Takashi?'_ Gaara was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Rika had laid down next to him until the girl placed her head on his chest.

"Gaara, what are you thinking about?" Rika asked, breaking the silence. "Shukaku isn't bothering you, is he?"

"No, he is sleeping for the moment," Gaara replied, placing one arm behind his head and put the other one across Rika's stomach as the girl laid perpendicular to him. Rika grasped the cyan-eyed boy's hand with both of hers.

"That's good. I haven't done this in so long. It's peaceful." She was referring to gazing at the stars. "The moon is so bright and beautiful."

Gaara nodded, "Yeah, it is."

After the short exchange, the two stargazed in silence. Finally, though, Temari came up to the roof. The sight she saw was not what she expected to find. Gaara and Rika were lying in a "T" kind of position; Rika had her head on Gaara's stomach and was holding one of the jinchūriki's hands in both of hers. Both were sleeping peacefully. The blonde kunoichi 'Awed' mentally at the cute sight. She was happy her brother was able to sleep without that stupid tanuki taking over._ 'Rika, I'm so glad that you're mother was assigned to care for my baby brother. Do you know how much you have done to bring me and my brothers together? I just hope nothing happens to you. Otherwise, who knows what would happen.' _Temari thought before quickly going back to the suite to get a couple of blankets and pillows for the sleeping pair. They were too peaceful to wake up, so she made them as comfortable as possible on the roof.

Kankuro and Baki were waiting for her when Temari returned to the room. The looks on their faces made the fifteen year old sigh. "They're just sleeping. No need to worry."

"What! Gaara's sleeping, too? We must wake him up immediately before Shukaku overtakes him." Baki exclaimed, his eyes wide with fear.

"Baki-sensei, Gaara is able to sleep when Rika is around. I have this feeling that Shukaku cares for Rika and wouldn't do anything that would put the girl in harm. Taking over Gaara like that would cause Rika to get hurt, most likely. Like I said, there's no need to worry." Temari explained, causing her teacher to calm down, slightly.

"Yeah, ever since they were really little, Rika would go to Gaara if she had a nightmare and the two would be found fast asleep together, with no trouble from Shukaku." Kankuro added, remembering once when he had found Rika and Gaara together on one of the play-dates Nana had arranged.

Baki was silent, processing the new information he had learned about Gaara and Rika. This could throw a wrench in their plans to attack and destroy Konohagakure. The Shukaku was imperative for everything to work. What if he... No, he quickly stopped that train of thought. If anything, it would just make things worse and make Shukaku turn and attack the wrong side. But if worse came to worse... He would take drastic measures.

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><p><em><strong>So, what do you think? Drop a review and please share. Ja ne!<strong>_


	14. Chapter 13

_**Hey ya'll. So, I'm gonna be tweaking Kakashi's age a bit, making him about four years older. So instead of being 26, he'll be 30. I apologize if that bothers you, but I have to if my idea is going to work without being totally weird and wrong. Warning: Possible OOCness ahead. (Not really sure, myself)**_

**Chapter 13**

A few hours later around dawn, one of the figures on the roof of the hotel started to stir. Obsidian orbs opened slowly, taking in the surrounding area. _'Where am I? Did Gaara and I fall asleep? Someone must have brought us blankets, probably Temari.' _Rika carefully sat up, not wanting to wake her sleeping partner just yet. Too late. When she cast her eyes to the redhead beside her, twin pools of cyan stared back. Rika blushed at the intensity of Gaara's stare.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" Gaara nodded as he sat up and stretched his arms out. "I think we woke up just in time for the sunrise. Watch it with me?" Rika asked shyly. Her face lit up when the silent boy nodded again and leaned back on his arms, signaling his choice of staying with the girl.

When the sun had finished rising, the two Suna Genin finally entered the suite where the rest of their team was. "About time you two came back. You weren't doing anything, were you?" Kankuro teased, his eyebrow raised.

Rika blushed deeply, "Shut up, Kankuro! We were just watching the sunrise, as usual." Kankuro laughed, loving the reaction he got out of the younger girl. Said brunette scowled and shoved the boy, smirking when the puppeteer fell on his butt. Temari laughed at her younger brother's misfortune. Even Gaara smirked, causing Temari and Kankuro to freeze, while the youngest of the four smiled. "What do you want for breakfast? I was thinking of making omelets," Rika said, changing the subject.

Kankuro cheered. "Yes! Rika, I love you!" He loved Rika's cooking, but he especially loved the girl's omelets.

Rika rolled her eyes. "I already knew that, Kankuro. But I hate to break it to you. You just aren't my type."

Kankuro mock gasped. "What? That hurt, Rika. And here I thought we had something going. Now, I'm heartbroken." He cried fake tears, or he tried to. It's hard to pretend to cry when one is laughing. Rika was laughing too. Then she saw the murderous look on Gaara's face.

"Gaara, you aren't jealous, are you? Don't worry. You should know I like quiet guys better than loud-mouths like Kankuro here. Besides, that would be weird, seeing as Kankuro is like my brother." Rika smirked at the "Hey, I heard that!" from Kankuro, who had headed to his room for some reason or another. "Duh! You were supposed to! Idiot." Rika yelled the first part back at Kankuro, then muttered the last part under her breath, heading to the small kitchen to fix breakfast.

"Ahem," Someone cleared their throat. Rika turned to the source of the noise.

"Good morning, Baki-sensei. I'm going to make omelets, would you like some?" The young girl asked, smiling.

"Good morning to you, too. Yes, an omelet would be nice, thank you." Baki nodded, going to sit on the couch and read his book.

Temari gasped quietly and quickly walked over to Rika. "He's never accepted your offer for food before! What's going on?"

Rika laughed, surprising the blonde even more. "Actually, he's eaten my cooking more than once. Do you honestly think that I eat alone when you and your brothers are at home? Baki-sensei was on a team with Kaa-san when they were Genins, so it only makes sense that he would check in on his old teammate's only child. And from what I've heard, Baki-sensei and Kaa-san were good friends. Gaara, will you get the eggs, milk, and cheese out of the refrigerator?" Obsidian glanced towards mentioned fridge as the young preteen gathered what else she would need to make breakfast.

The boy, who Temari had forgotten was there, nodded and silently stood to get what Rika had asked. In return, he received the smile he loved from his only friend. The smile reserved only for him, the one where Rika's eyes would light up and sparkle with hints and specks of blue and silver.

"Thank you. Temari, if you're going to stay in the kitchen, you will be drafted to help, just to let you know." Rika warned, putting an apron on. Temari gulped and quickly fled the scene, leaving behind a giggling Rika and smirking Gaara. The former mentioned brunette stood in front of the red-haired jinchūriki and turned around, glancing back over her shoulder after a moment of nothing happening. "Gaara, will you tie the apron strings? But not too tight, please." She giggled as the confused look on her friend's face cleared. "Thank you." Rika turned around after Gaara finished tying the strings and gave the boy a quick peck on the cheek, red dusting her own cheeks, before returning to her duty of making omelets for breakfast.

Gaara froze when Rika kissed him on the cheek. His eyes widened, cheeks pinking. _'Why did she do that? What does it mean?'__** 'Boy, if you can't figure out what it means, then you are extremely stupid and dense.'**__ 'Oh, shut up, Shukaku!'_

Rika kept an eye on 'her' silent boy, and became worried when he stayed where he was for a few minutes without moving. "Gaara, are you okay? You've been staring off in space for quite a while now." When the red-haired boy heard her, he jerked, coming back to reality and out of his thoughts.

"Hn." That and a nod was all Rika got needed for an answer to know that everything was fine. A comfortable silence fell upon the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, breakfast was finished and a heavenly smell was wafting through the hotel room and out onto the street. Passerbys stopped and took in the delicious smell before heading to a restaurant or back home to eat. One in particular, with silver hair sticking up at an angle and a mask and hitai-ate covering most of his face, paused and silently slipped through the open window where the aroma was coming from.

Rika turned with a gasp, instinctively grabbing a kunai knife from her weapons pack on her leg. She didn't relax until she recognized the intruder. "Kakashi-san, what brings you here?" The girl asked, placing her kunai back in the holster.

"Good morning to you, too, Rika-chan. Just Kakashi, please. As to why I dropped in, I smelled omelets made using Nana-chan's recipe and I decided to investigate." The silver-haired Jounin smiled, his visible coal-black eye crinkling. He nodded in greeting to Gaara, who was calmly sitting at the table, cautiously watching the new-comer.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast? I made more than enough."

"Rika, who's there?" Baki asked as he entered the kitchen, slipping his book into his weapons pouch. "Hatake-san, it's nice to see you."

Kakashi nodded. "Indeed, Baki-san. It's been a while, hasn't it. I was shocked to hear that Nana-chan had passed. How have you been? I know you two were quite close."

Baki scowled. "Same old Kakashi. You haven't changed a bit in, what, eight years? Still trying to pry into the business of others."

Rika sighed, the two grown men were starting to act like little children. "Alright boys, there will be no discontent in this kitchen while I am still around. So shape up if you want any of my cooking anytime soon." She smirked at the fear that quickly passed through the eyes of the two Jounin. It was quite funny, two Jounin, _Jounin_, were fearful of a threat made by her, a mere rookie Genin. She hid a giggle, glancing at Gaara, who was trying to hide a smirk, his lips twitching.

"Rika, that's a scary threat and not very nice!" Kankuro entered the room, Temari close behind him.

That did it. Rika started laughing, leaning on the counter for support. "Now you did it, Kankuro! You broke her!" Temari cried, rushing to the younger girl. Rika held up a hand, trying to reassure everyone that she was okay.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Rika was finally able to say after a few moments of laughter. "Sorry about that, I just..." She trailed off, embarrassed. After a moment of awkward silence, Rika spoke again. "Right, I believe introductions are in order. Kakashi-san, you already know Gaara and Baki-sensei, so the two over there are my teammates Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's older siblings. Team, this is Hatake Kakashi, a Leaf Jounin, obviously." She pointed to each person in turn as she said their names. Kakashi nodded, Temari waved, and Kankuro shrugged in indifference. "Okay, now that that's over, who's ready for breakfast?"

About an hour later, Rika and Kakashi, surprisingly, finished cleaning the dishes. "Thank you Kakashi-san for helping me wash the dishes." Rika smiled as she put away the last dish.

"It's the least I could do to repay you for breakfast. And, please, call me just Kakashi, Rika-chan." Kakashi replied. "Now, I really must be going. I've probably kept my team waiting long enough. Goodbye." He waved with one hand over his shoulder as he left.

"Bye, Kakashi, I'll see you at the Chuunin Exams!" She waved as the man exited the way he entered, through the kitchen window. She silently let a relieved sigh escape. In a way, the girl was glad Kakashi had left. The tension in the dining room had been on the point of suffocation. What was Baki-sensei's problem with Kakashi? Men, Rika decided, never really grew up.

Gaara looked up when Rika sighed. He was... not worried, per say, but close to that. Rika rarely sighed, so something serious and stressful must be running through her mind.

"Rika, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. The four of you need to get ready for the exams now! So hurry your Suna butts up and get going to the training grounds!" Baki ordered. A couple of days had passed since the breakfast with Kakashi and Baki had been extra tense and jumpy ever since then. He'd had his team training like crazy, from dawn to dusk, with short respites every few hours.

Rika sighed before turning to her sensei. "That's enough Baki! If I train any more, I'll be burnt out before the Chuunin Exams even start, which is tomorrow. So I refuse to listen to you anymore today! I don't know about the others, but I've had enough of you're short temper and you taking out your frustrations on us! So whatever your problem is with Kakashi Hatake, either work it out, or keep it to yourself." The brunette's team and sensei stared at her in shock. She had never snapped at Baki-sensei like that before.

Baki quickly recovered, however, and was about to get into a yelling match with his youngest student when Gaara's sand rose up on both sides of the girl. The Jounin sighed, "Fine. Do whatever you want today, all of you. I have something to do, anyways. Don't try to follow me, _Rika_." He directed that last comment to the youngest because he knew that if he didn't order otherwise, he would have an unwanted tail all day.

Rika pouted, sticking her tongue out at the Jounin. "Fine, who would want to follow someone stuffy like you in the first place?"

Baki held a chuckle back as he headed out the door. Rika was right; he needed to talk to Hatake and clear the air between them. So, he headed to where he knew the silver-haired man would be; the KIA memorial stone.

Kakashi didn't look up when he sensed the approaching chakra signature. He knew who it belonged to and could tell that the person wasn't coming to fight or cause trouble. "Hello Baki." The Leaf Jounin stood from where he was kneeling when he sensed the Sand shinobi enter the clearing. "How can I help you?" His voice was tense, strained from memories of days gone past.

Baki stared at the man in front of him and made eye contact. "We need to talk. Now."

Kakashi sighed, sparing a glance at the sun. "Alright, but let's make it quick. I'm already late to a meeting."

Baki scoffed. "As if being late ever bothered you. But, it has been brought to my attention that we need to solve the bad feelings between us."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow, studying the man before him. Was this really the same Baki that he knew eleven years ago? "Is this about Nana-chan and my relationship with her?" Memories of days long past ran through his mind; watching sunsets, sweet kisses shared in secret, and more.

"Do you know how hurt she was when you didn't come back like you said? And then when you did come back, you ran off once you found out. Do you know how broken she was? Nana only barely survived and got through the depression by taking care of Gaara and preparing for the birth of her own child." Baki was trying really hard to hold back the urge to fight the Sharingan user. "And then-"

Kakashi interrupted. "I know, okay? I know that I acted stupid, childish, immature, whatever you want to say. I know I hurt her. But I was scared, okay? I was an AnBu captain and I didn't know how to raise a child or be a father. My own father killed himself when I was young, and then my sensei, and second father, gave his life to save Konohagakure from the Kyuubi. I didn't want to mess up. And then I got word that Nana had given birth, three years later, and I wanted, no needed, to see the child and apologize. Besides, it's not like you have room to talk, Baki. You hurt Nana-chan, too."

That was it. Baki saw red and snapped. He lunged at the silver-haired man, drawing a kunai. However, before he could reach his target, a smaller body wrapped itself around his torso. The man was shocked and his momentum was thrown off. To prevent landing on top of the younger person, most likely female, Baki turned over to land on his back.

"Baki-sensei, what do you think you are doing? The Leaf are our allies, but the treaty is still a bit weak. Attacking a Hidden Leaf ninja will break that treaty and send both our countries into war!" It was Rika, the one specifically told not to follow. She glared down at her sensei, quickly standing up and placing herself in between the two males when Baki got to his feet.

"I thought I told you not to follow me."

Rika intensified her glare, daring either man to talk. "And it's a good thing I don't listen to you. Otherwise, the alliance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind would go down the drain." She turned to face Kakashi, who was getting ready to sneak away. "Don't even think about trying to sneak off. How dare you try to bait Baki-sensei. If you want a fight, then fight with someone else. I don't care who you are! I'll order around whoever I want. Now, the both of you are going to start acting like grown men and apologize. No, not to each other, but to my mother. NOW!" Both men nodded, shocked, and a bit terrified. They closed their eyes and sent up silent apologies to Nana Takashi.

Rika smiled when the two opened their eyes. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Kakashi, I want to have a word, with you if you don't mind."

Kakashi nodded. He was standing next to Baki now and leaned over to whisper in the other man's ear. "She definitely got her mother's scary temper and glare." Baki just gave him a stare that said 'You think?'

Two hours later, Kakashi finally made his way to the bridge where his team was waiting. "Sorry I'm late, but I-"

"Liar!" Naruto, Kei, and Sakura yelled in unison, not letting their sensei finish.

"Hey, I have a legitimate excuse this time," Kakashi held his gloved hands up in surrender. He sweatdropped at the disbelieving looks he received. "Rika, I told you they wouldn't believe me," Kakashi called over his shoulder.

Rika sighed, not really wanting to come out of her hiding spot. It was a pretty comfortable tree. Finally, though, she dropped down, surprising the Genin of Team Seven. "Kakashi has a legitimate reason for being late. I had some private matters to talk to him about. And before that, he was-mph!" Kakashi had quickly covered the girl's mouth before she could reveal why he was always late. Rika smirked at the perfect opportunity and bit down. Kakashi yelped and drew his hand away. "As I was saying, Kakashi was talking with my sensei, Baki. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to meet up with my own team. Bye everyone!" The brunette smiled and waved as she walked off.

Kakashi scowled at the girl's retreating back before turning to his team. "Tomorrow are the Chuunin Exams; do you all feel ready?" He smiled at the affirmative answers he got.

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><p><strong><em>So, what do you think? By the way, I have the next chapter done, but I would like some feedback on this chapter before I post the next one, just in case I should make some changes according to reviews I receive. In other words, please review! :D<em>**


	15. Chapter 14

_**Yo! Shado Kitsune, formerly known as Elfgurl96, here! So sorry about the wait! Well, I'm sure you don't want to hear about how I had all my stories and stuff on a jump drive and not on my laptop and so when my jump drive broke, I lost everything and had to start from scratch. Gomen nasai!  
>Anyways, here's the long awaited chapter of Sand Lullaby! Enjoy!<strong>_

**Chapter Fourteen**

Rika slowly made her way to the hotel room, where her team was waiting. Her thoughts were on the interesting conversation she had with Kakashi.

_Flashback_

_The pair was sitting next to the memorial stone, an empty bentō between them. "Kakashi, what was your relationship with my mother?" Rika finally asked, breaking the silence. Her hands picked at the emerald-green grass on either side of her._

_Kakashi leaned back on his hands, pondering for a moment on how to answer the question asked. "Well," he started after a moment, "Nana and I were quite close. We did have a brief, but wonderful relationship."_

_"What happened? I mean, why did you separate?"_

_Kakashi turned and lightly cradled Rika's cheek, studying her face. "Nana became pregnant. I was scared and I ran. It took me three years to return to Suna. Not for lack of opportunity, but because I was scared. I didn't feel fit to be a father. I grew up, for the most part, without one. But, when I did return, I saw you and I regretted ever running away from your mother. But, I want you to know that I really did love her, with all my heart." _

_Rika had tears in her eyes, understanding flooding her face. Finally, Kakashi could stand it no longer, and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the brunette girl next to him. Rika quickly returned the hug, her tears falling fast and fierce. The silver-haired man held her in his lap and rocked back and forth, his own tears silently slipping out._

_After a few moments, Rika calmed down enough to ask another question. "So, what do I call you?"_

_Kakashi chuckled. "What do you want to call me?"_

_"Dad," Rika mumbled, tightening her grip. Kakashi nodded, and the two sat there in a comfortable silence. _

_End Flashback_

Rika was jerked out of her thoughts when someone placed a hand on her arm. She whirled, her hand reaching for a weapon, when she saw who had stopped her. "Baki-sensei, what do you need?"

"I'm assuming Kakashi told you what happened and..." Baki trailed off, a bit unsure of what to say.

"And that he's my father? Yeah, he told me. How he truly loved my mother, but was too scared to be a father. Is that all?" Rika faced the man, gazing at the visible right half of her sensei's face. "Because I need to fix dinner for everyone." With that, she turned away and continued to the hotel. But then she paused and looked over her shoulder at Baki. "Please don't be late, Baki-sensei." The plea was a soft whisper that the Jounin barely heard.

"Rika, I'm hungry! When is dinner going to be ready?" Kankuro complained, entering the kitchen where Rika was just getting ready to start cooking. Gaara was sitting at the table and sent a glare towards his older brother.

"Go away Kankuro. I'll let you know when the oden is ready. So scram," Rika replied, not turning to face the teen. Kankuro frowned. Something was wrong with his little sister; she had been quite short-tempered lately.

"Did I do something to offend you, Rika? Because you have been pretty snappy lately," Kankuro pointed out. He ignored the glares and exited the kitchen.

Temari glanced up from her scroll when her brother sat down next to her with a sigh. "What's wrong now?"

"It's Rika. She's been acting really weird lately. She's been snappy and short-tempered since we arrived here," Kankuro replied, burying his face in his hands. He was pretty exhausted after following Temari around all day.

Temari set down the scroll she was studying and turned to face Kankuro. "I'm sure she's fine. It's probably nothing. Don't worry too much, or you'll get premature wrinkles and gray hair."

Kankuro frowned at Temari's smirk. "Shut up. I will not." He shoved his blonde sister off the couch, grinning.

Rika bustled around the kitchen, never still for more than a short moment. Gaara's cyan eyes followed the brunette's every move. The heavy gaze did not slow the girl down. In fact, she was quite used to it. Ever since the girl was put on Baki's team, Gaara had watched everything she did. At first, it was a bit annoying, but now Rika found it a bit calming and not so bothersome. While others found it creepy and weird. Temari had asked her on multiple occasions how she could stand someone constantly watching. Rika just laughed and continued with whatever she was doing.

After a few minutes of silence, Gaara finally spoke. "Rika, what's wrong?"

Rika paused and turned to face the redhead. "I'm fine." Her smile was painfully fake. She sighed when Gaara gave her a disbelieving stare. "Okay, okay. I found out something today and it's a bit overwhelming. That's all."

"What did you learn?" Gaara was extremely curious, Rika concluded. Her silent teammate never talked this much unless he really wanted to know something.

The eleven year old brunette sat at the table across from Gaara, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Well, I know who my father is. And he's a pretty decent guy." Rika paused to gauge the reaction of her best and closest friend. Gaara's face was blank, revealing no emotion. However, his eyes showed his curiosity and concern. "He's Kakashi Hatake." After that little revelation, all was quiet in the kitchen.

Dinner was quiet for the most part, and the atmosphere was tense. While helping clean up, Temari finally broke the silence.

"Rika, where were you today?" The blonde asked, drying dishes. Rika froze, the plate in her hand dropped back into the sink and splashed soapy water everywhere. Gaara's head snapped up, wondering what his obsidian eyed friend would say.

The younger girl was silent, thinking, for a moment. "I was out and about. Nowhere in particular." The answer was vague, but Temari didn't dig any deeper, no matter how curious she was. The way Rika's eyes were flat and dull showed that the girl wasn't in the mood to talk.

About an hour later, Temari and Kankuro were scheming to figure out a way to get Rika to talk to them. Said obsidian eyed girl was sitting on the roof, gazing out over Konohagakure. The sun was just beginning to set and the sky in the west was turning a beautiful orange.

"You know, sunset was your mother's second favorite time of day," Kakashi appeared and sat next to Rika. He was still a bit hesitant around the girl that was his daughter; he didn't have a clue on how to be a father.

"Yeah, I know. Mom loved the sunrise the best, though. I remember when she first took me to see it. I immediately knew that there were very few sights that would top watching the sun climb to it's spot in the sky." Rika scooted closer and laid her head on Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi wrapped his arm around his daughter, laying his own head on her's.

Father and daughter sat in silence, taking comfort from each other's presence. Soon, Kakashi felt Rika's body go lax against him, signaling that the girl had fallen asleep. The silver-haired man smiled softly and gently picked the girl up to take her inside and put her in bed. Much to his surprise, the redhead from Rika's team was standing behind them with his arms out to take Rika. Kakashi gently placed a kiss on Rika's forehead before reluctantly handing his sleeping daughter to the boy. Then Kakashi nodded to the boy before disappearing with a poof of smoke from the transportation jutsu.

Gaara cradled his female teammate in his arms. When he placed the petite girl in her bed, Rika stirred and opened her eyes. "Gaara?" She grabbed his sleeve.

Gaara hummed to show that he had heard and sat on the edge of the bed. "Don't go, please."

"Scoot over, then." Rika complied and then quickly curled up to the redheaded boy as soon as he laid down. Gaara was sure his face was almost as red as his hair. "Goodnight, Rika," Gaara murmured, embracing the brunette.

"G'nigh, Gaara," Rika replied, half-asleep. "Love you."

The next morning, the team from Suna were in the classroom where the first part of the exams were being held. "Ugh, I'm so tired!" Rika complained, laying her head on Gaara's shoulder, causing the twelve year old boy to fight back a blush.

_'What is she doing to me? I've been blushing more often, ever since Rika said she loved me. Why?' __**'Boy, you are so dense if you can't figure out the answer to that. Isn't it obvious? You care for little Rika-chan. I could almost say you love her.'**_ Shukaku chuckled, enjoying the discomfort his host was going through.

Gaara's thoughts were interrupted by an obnoxious blonde. "Rika-chan! You're here!" Naruto yelled, pulling the Sand girl into a big hug.

"Naruto-kun, can't breathe!" Rika managed to say as the Leaf Genin squeezed the air out of her. Naruto immediately released the girl, and blushed.

"Sorry, Rika-chan," Naruto sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He sighed in relief when Rika replied that she was fine. "Are you ready to take the exams?" He asked. "I am! I've been ready for forever! And I'll ace them and become the next Hokage! Believe it!"

"Naruto-kun, you're being too loud too early in the day," Rika rubbed her forehead, already feeling a headache coming on.

"Oops, sorry again."

Rika was then enveloped in another hug, this one much gentler than the first one. "Good morning Rika-chan!" Kei greeted, smiling.

"Good morning, Kei-chan," Rika returned the greeting and hug. "Is there any way to get Naruto-kun to speak softly for longer than five minutes?"

Kei giggled. "'Fraid not. I've tried, believe me."

"Oh, I believe you. He's just the opposite of Gaara. While you've tried to get your teammate to shut up, I've been working on getting mine to speak up. Boys are so stubborn," Rika sighed, smiling at the black-haired girl and ending the hug.

Sasuke took this moment to step forward and greet the Suna girl. "Good morning, Rika-chan." He grasped her hand and raised it to his lips for a kiss, but Gaara pulled Rika's hand back just in time. The redhead glared at the Uchiha while wrapping his arms around his female teammate.

Rika leaned back into Gaara's chest while returning Sasuke's salutation. When the rest of the Konoha Rookie Genin arrived, Naruto introduced them to Rika, his "new best friend and sister." Rika smiled softly at the enthusiasm the hyperactive blonde showed. She was happy he thought of her as a sister, but then frowned as she remembered why her team had come to Konoha. What would Naruto think of her then? Would he hate her for taking part in the invasion?

After an incident with some Sound Genin and another Leaf Genin named Kabuto, the proctor entered and ordered them to take their seats. He introduced himself as Ibiki Morino and explained the rules of the written part of the exams. After starting the test, Rika smirked and realized that the point was to effectively gather the answers from other examinees. The questions were not something that any normal Genin would know, but thankfully Rika had studied all of the topics covered in the questions and easily finished the written test.

When the allotted time for answering the first nine given questions was up, Morino stated that anyone who wanted to leave should do so now, because if they answered the tenth question wrong, they would never be able to take the Chuunin Exams again.

This got many to stand up and leave with their teams. Naruto slowly raised his hand before slamming it back down on the desk and standing. He ranted about how he wouldn't be scared of a single question and was going to be Hokage no matter what. Kei, who was sitting beside Rika, stood and voiced her own opinion, agreeing with Naruto, except that she would be Hokage. Their little spiel gave the others a boost of courage. Ibiki smirked and informed everyone that they had passed. Kei cheered and embraced the person who was unlucky, I mean lucky, to be sitting beside her. This was, of course, Rika, a girl who not used to so many hugs.

Suddenly, someone crashed through the window. "Alright you maggots! Listen up," the speaker was a woman with short purple hair. She paused and took a head count. "Ibiki, your test must not have been hard enough for so many to pass!" Morino shrugged, smirking. The lady sighed, turning to address the Genin again. "I am Anko Mitarashi, your next proctor for the exams. Head out to the Forest of Death, where I will inform you of the second part of the Chuunin Exams."

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><p><strong><em>So, what do you think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review and tell me! I love to read what you have to say! -Shado Kitsune<em>**


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Rika sighed. The Sand team had easily finished the second part of the exams. All they had to do was get a scroll from an enemy Genin team and make their way to the tower in the middle of the forest. It was quite easy, considering that Gaara was on their team. "I'm bored!" The brunette complained. She suddenly got the urge to play with Temari's hair. Said blonde noticed the suspiciously evil smile sent her way by Rika.

"Rika, whatever you are planning, forget it!" Obsidian eyes widened in mock surprise and innocence.

"Temari, what makes you think that I'm planning something? I was only going to ask if I could play with your hair." Full, pale pink lips pouted, unknowingly grabbing Gaara's attention. "Really, you could use a new hairstyle, Tem. I don't remember ever seeing you wear your hair any other way than in four pigtails."

Temari's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "What do I get if I let you mess with my hair?"

Before Rika could answer, Anko Mitarashi barged into the room. "How are you four already finished with the exam? It's still the first day!"

Kankuro scoffed, "This was too easy for us. We were finished within a few hours. The only time-consuming part was finding a team with the scroll we needed and getting to the tower."

Mitarashi could only gape. She couldn't believe that a team could be finished so quickly. It had only been about six or seven hours since the second part of the exam had started. "Whatever" Anko muttered before pointing down the hall, "you can find rooms to stay in there. Make yourselves comfortable. You've got a good wait ahead of you." With that, the purple-haired woman walked away, shaking her head in defeat.

Temari and Rika smirked at each other before racing to the nearest room. When the door opened, both girls gasped in shock.

"Holy heck! This is totally my room!" Rika's eyes were wide and lit up with excitement, causing obsidian to shine with flakes of blue and silver. The room had a color-theme that matched the sunrise; perfect for the sunrise-loving girl. "It's amazing!" The brunette's laughter filled the air as she spun around in the room, quickly making herself dizzy. While she was preoccupied with taking in her room, Temari and Kankuro found their own rooms; Temari's on the right of Rika's, while Kankuro's was across the hall from the two girls. Gaara didn't bother to look for a room, since he most likely would spend most of his time in Rika's room.

After they were all settled in, all four met in Rika's room to hang out. "What are we gonna do for the next few days? I'm gonna get so bored!" Rika sighed, sitting on her bed with Temari and Kankuro. Gaara was leaning up against the wall, his gourd of sand by the door.

Kankuro chuckled, "Rika, you are always bored, no matter what."

The young girl stuck her tongue out at him. "Nu-uh! I'm only bored when there's nothing to do, like now. I only have you and Temari to annoy, and that's not any fun after a while. I wish Naruto and Kei were here. Then I could annoy them! Yeah, or we could team up and annoy that Sakura girl. She looks fun to annoy." Rika's smile turned into an evil smirk as she thought of all the ways she could irritate the Leaf Genin.

Temari and Kankuro slowly inched away from the girl. "She's scary when she get's that look," Kankuro whispered to his sister. Temari nodded in agreement.

And so, the next four days passed rather slowly. Rika was quite bored at times and played many pranks on Temari and Kankuro, but she never got in trouble because they had no proof. Finally, the five days were up and all the Genin that had passed were gathered together for the third part of the exams.

The Third Hokage gave a long explanation of what the true purpose of the Chuunin Exams were. Then, they had to have a preliminary round because too many had passed the first and second exams.

Temari, Kankuro, and Rika had fought and won their fights and were watching the fight between Hinata and Neji Hyuuga, two Leaf Genin. Neji was obviously much stronger and more skilled, but Hinata was stubborn and didn't give up easily. The girl took blow after blow to her chakra system and kept getting up. Finally, though, she couldn't take anymore and collapsed after a few of the Jounin present stopped her cousin, Neji, from attacking a final time. Hinata was coughing up blood; Rika jumped down into the ring and hurried to the girl. The Sand girl's hands glowed with healing chakra as she worked to stabilize the other girl so she would be able to make it to the hospital and have a higher chance of living.

After the medics carried Hinata out, Rika turned to the other Hyuuga. "Hey Hyuuga, if she dies then there won't be anyone or anything on this earth to protect you from me, I swear. Hinata didn't deserve what you did to her!" Rika had gotten to briefly know the girl in the week or two before the exams started and knew that Hinata was a sweet but timid person and a great friend.

Neji scoffed, "As if you could stand a fight against me. You look younger than Hinata, and look how she ended up."

Rika growled, and tensed to attack, but was restrained by sand, courtesy of Gaara. "Rika, control yourself!" Kakashi scolded, earning a few stares from his fellow Jounin.

Rika ignored her father and focused only on the sand restraining her and the Hyuuga. "Alright, after the exams are over, me and you. We'll see how well I can hold a fight against you. You might be surprised."

"Rika, that is enough." This time, the speaker was Baki, so Rika didn't ignore him. The sand gently tugged her in the direction where the rest of her team was.

"Oh fine. What spoilsports," Rika grumbled to herself. "Just when I was going to have a fight where I wouldn't have to hold back." She ignored the disbelieving stares she got as she jumped back up to the stands where the rest of her team was.

Temari started to quietly scold the girl, but stopped when she received a glare from the brunette. "Don't Temari. Just be quiet."

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><p><strong><em>Hey! So, what'cha think? Please, please, please review! ~Shado<em>**


	17. Chapter 16

**_Hey all! Here's the latest chapter! I know this is sad, but I think that SL is coming to an end. I might blur through the invasion and then have an epilogue. But, please enjoy!_  
><strong>

**Chapter Sixteen**

The next fight was Gaara's. His opponent was a Leaf Genin named Rock Lee. Rika wished Gaara good luck before the redhead transported himself to the fighting ring with his sand. Rika turned to her sensei. "Do you think he'll be okay? I observed Rock Lee before the exams and he seems to fight only with Taijutsu. I'm not sure he even has any chakra at all. He never uses any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

Baki was silent and contemplated for a moment. "I'm sure Gaara will be fine. His sand won't fail to protect him. Don't worry, Rika, everything will be okay."

Rika nodded and watched the fight going on in the ring below them. The fight was intense and Rika was a bit unsure if Gaara would be able to win, especially when Lee took off the weights he had been wearing. So with bated breath, Rika watched and hoped for a quick ending. She watched as Lee was able to land blow after blow on Gaara, causing Gaara's control to slip a little bit so Shukaku could have partial control. After having to be restrained multiple times so she wouldn't jump down and interfere, Rika was glad when the fight was finally over and she could enter the ring. However that was unnecessary, as Gaara appeared right behind her before she could jump down to him.

Acting out of character, but not caring, Gaara wrapped his arms around Rika's waist from behind and buried his face in locks of chocolate brown, breathing in the scent of vanilla and coconut. Rika's scent had always been able to calm the tanuki within him. Rika didn't speak and placed her hands over Gaara's, leaning back into the embrace with her eyes closed.

Rika didn't know if there were any more fights or how much time had passed, but the next thing she knew, Gaara was carrying her in his arms back to the hotel. Temari, Kankuro, and Baki were walking ahead of them, the two siblings bickering while Baki-sensei walked in silence.

"Rika?" The call was quiet and Rika looked up to see twin pools of cyan staring at her. She saw the slight worry and smiled.

"Hey Gaara. I'm fine, just tired." The brunette turned her face towards the redheaded jinchuuriki's body, soaking up the warmth and starting to fall back asleep. "Hn, you're warm," Rika mumbled sleepily, burrowing closer. Gaara blushed lightly, unused to dealing with a sleepy and cuddly Rika.

Upon reaching their room in the hotel, the Suna team each went to their respective rooms to clean up and relax before dinner. Gaara laid the sleeping Rika on her bed and turned to leave. Once again, as many times before, a small hand clutching his shirt stopped him. Twin orbs of obsidian clouded with sleep stared up at him with pleading in their depths. And so, once again, Gaara ended up sleeping with his arms wrapped protectively around the girl he loves. Of course, he didn't realize yet that the feelings he had for his teammate were love.

Later, Kankuro quietly entered to ask Rika to make dinner, but he quickly turned around and exited before heading to the living room where Temari and Baki-sensei were sitting. "How about we go and eat out?" was all the puppet user said before walking to the door and exiting the suite. Temari and Baki, confused, both went to check on Rika before swiftly following Kankuro. Needless to say, no one would be disturbing Rika anytime soon, not with Gaara sleeping next to her.

After Temari and Baki had closed the door behind them, Gaara had opened his eyes and glanced around, trying to figure out what had awoken him. After finding nothing, the red-haired boy relaxed and studied the sleeping girl that was laying in his arms. He reached out and brushed his hand against Rika's cheek, freezing when the girl started to stir.

Rika's eyes fluttered open and she saw Gaara staring at her. "Gaara? Something wrong?" She tried to sit up but found that something was holding her down. Obsidian glanced down to find a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Rika looked up at Gaara and, almost immediately, got lost in cyan eyes.

"Rika," Gaara's voice was a little more husky than usual as he whispered her name. "Rika, Rika, what are you doing to me?" He brushed the back of his hand along the brunette girl's cheekbone, eliciting a slight shiver from her.

Rika's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes bright, unclouded by sleep. "Describe the feelings you have and maybe I can help." She reached up and covered Gaara's hand with her own, leaning closer to the warmth of the jinchuuriki's hand.

Gaara took the hand entangled with his and placed it over his rapidly beating heart. "My heartbeat quickens whenever I'm around you, and I can't stop thinking about you when you aren't beside me. I'm able to sleep when you're at my side, and Shukaku doesn't bother me when I'm in your presence. I don't understand this feeling. My stomach feels as if it's full of butterflies, and it gets worse when I touch you."

"Gaara, this feeling is love." Gaara cocked his head, confused.

"Love?" It was a foreign concept for him, never having loved anyone. Rika nodded, smiling softly. Gaara reached a hand up to the kanji scarred on his forehead, unconsciously. "But, on that day, I said I would only love myself."

Rika sighed, knowing she would have to go slow with the boy. "Gaara, you can't always help who you love. Sometimes, it just happens. You might not understand, or like it, but there isn't much you can do about it."

Gaara nodded, slowly coming to an understanding. "And if the person you love doesn't love you back or loves someone else?"

Rika looked to the ground as she answered. "It's one of the most painful feelings in the world. You feel as if your heart is ripped out whenever you think of that person," she glanced back to Gaara, making eye contact before continuing, "but you don't have to worry about that." The look on the red-haired boy's face was a expression of confusion.

"Gaara, I love you, too." A genuine smile broke out on Gaara's face, lighting up his eyes.

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><p><strong><em>I know, it's short and has a terrible cliff-hanger, but please review! <em>**


	18. Chapter 17

**_Hey! Sorry for the lateness and the shortness, but here's the next chapter of Sand Lullaby. Enjoy! :)_**

Chapter Seventeen

Rika sighed and leaned against Gaara, relaxing in the red-head's hold. The third part of the Chuunin Exams was underway, and the time to start the invasion drew ever closer.

Gaara easily noticed the troubled sigh from the girl in his arms. He got her to make eye-contact with him, silently asking what was wrong. Rika replied with a smile and a small peck on the cheek. "I'm okay, Gaara-kun, just a bit troubled by what's happening today." The silent red-haired jinchuuriki nodded, understanding in his eyes.

Baki watched his two younger students interact with each other almost perfectly. _'If this were any other time, I would be happy for them. But, this complicates things. If Shukaku really does care for Rika and won't do anything that could cause her harm, then the invasion might not work out. I hate to even think this, but I have to... Sorry, Nana.'_

_**Boy, best keep Rika-chan close today. I don't like the look in your foolish sensei's eyes. He's up to something, and it ain't good.**_ Gaara glanced at Baki-sensei and agreed with Shukaku. The man did indeed look like he was planning something bad, and the jinchuuriki guessed it involved Rika with the looks thrown her way by their sensei. He tightened his grip on Rika unconsciously, drawing her attention to him.

"Gaara, what's wrong?" Obsidian searched jade, looking for an answer since a verbal reply wouldn't be given.

Gaara minutely shook his head and placed Rika so her back was against his chest. The jinchuuriki then buried his face into chocolate locks, delighting in the giggles from the girl in his arms.

"Gaara, what are you doing? Shouldn't you be paying attention tot he fights?" Rika asked, trying to turn around and face him.

"Hn," Gaara just tightened his grip and breathed in Rika's calming scent of vanilla coconut. That scent had always worked to calm him, even during the years after Yashamaru's and Nana's deaths, until Rika had been put on the team with him and his siblings. Especially during that time.

"Gaara, you need to let me go. It's time for my match."

Gaara sighed and reluctantly released Rika so she could fight. Before entering the arena, Rika turned around and gave Gaara a quick peck on the lips. "For good luck," she winked at him and then went into the arena for her fight.

Gaara watched the match with hidden worry. He knew that Rika's opponent was a relatively strong Genin and, though he would never admit it, the Suna Genin was worried for his teammate. Sure, Rika was strong, but she had her weak points that were easy to find if her opponent observed closely.

"Yeah Rika-chan! Kick his butt!" Temari cheered from beside her youngest brother, excited about the final part of the exam. Kankuro echoed his sister's sentiments, both of them ignoring the glares from spectators around them. Gaara watched in silence, his worry only visible to the one down in the ring.

A long ten minutes later, Rika was announced the victor after knocking out her opponent. Gaara immediately appeared beside the girl and wrapped them both in his sand before disappearing and reappearing in the stands.

Rika giggled breathlessly, leaning heavily on the redhead at her side. "Thanks Gaara, but do you think you could take me to the medics' tent so I can get patched up? I'd go by myself, but," she interrupted herself with a yawn, "I'm so exhausted I can barely move."

"Sure." Gaara picked up the petite girl and held her bridal-style. Rika buried her face into his shoulder, becoming even more drowsy from the comfortable warmth coming from the jinchuuriki.

A few minutes later, she opened her eyes to see warm brown eyes staring at her instead of familiar sea-green.

Rika bolted upright, reaching for the kunai that should have been under her pillow had she been in her own bed. At feeling nothing, Rika grew scared and flinched back. "Gaara!" She cried, trying to get away from the unfamiliar female.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm a medic," the woman said, holding up her hands in a placating gesture. "Sorry if I frightened you. I was checking your injuries from the match."

A mere second later, sand swirled on the other side of Rika, signaling the arrival of Gaara. When the sand cleared to reveal the redhead, Rika relaxed minutely onto the cot. Gaara placed a hand on Rika's and studied the doe-eyed woman, looking for any signs of hostility. At finding none, he turned his attention to his teammate.

Rika read the worry and anxiety in his eyes. She smiled, trying to convey that she was okay and had just been surprised by the woman. It must have worked, because Gaara nodded his head just enough for her to see it.

Meanwhile, the medic watched the silent conversation with knowing eyes. When the two young teens broke eye contact, she broke her silence. "What a cute couple. How long have you been together?"

Rika flushed a color to rival Gaara's hair. "Only a few days."

The woman's eyebrows rose, "Interesting. Yet, you communicate without speaking as if you've been together for a while."

Rika nodded. "We've known each other for years, so I've picked up a few things." She smiled shyly at Gaara, inwardly giggling at how her boy was avoiding eye contact and had a slight dusting of pink on his cheeks.

After the woman named Yumiko finished her checkup on Rika and patched the obsidian-eyed girl's few and non-serious wounds, the two Sand Genins headed back to where the rest of their team was.

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><p><em><strong>Thanks for reading! Please, please, please review! Until next time. ~Shado Kitsune ^_^<strong>_


	19. Chapter 18

_**Hey ya'll! I'm back! And with the end of Sand Lullaby. After this chapter is the epilogue. Please enjoy! Don't forget to review!**_

Chapter Eighteen

Finally, it was Gaara's match. The Uchiha and Kakashi had appeared just in time. Any later, and Gaara would have won by automatic forfeit. Rika looked on, her sharp eyes focused on her redhead the whole time. She watched as Sasuke landed a blow that broke through the sand, wounding Gaara and causing him to lose control and letting Shukaku out. Then chaos broke loose. Shukaku breaking loose signaled the beginning of the invasion, and everything was a blur to Rika.

The next clear memory she had was seeing Shukaku fighting Naruto and a huge toad. "Shukaku, please don't kill Naruto! He's my friend!" The brunette screamed when she saw the demon getting ready to let fly a lethal attack. He paused, yellow eyes turning to the young human female.

"You fancy the Kyuubi jinchuuriki? Then he surely must die!" Shukaku was getting angry.

"No! I see him only as a brother. I have no romantic feelings for him. So knock it off and give control back to Gaara this instant," Rika's eyes hardened as she gave the order to the giant tanuki, "or I will use force."

Shukaku gave a maniacal laugh before taking another sweep at Naruto and the giant frog, ignoring what Rika said. Rika growled, eyes turning pitch black. She moved quickly, climbing up to where Naruto was. The height made her eye level with the Ichibi.

"You will stop this, now!" The order came out as a growl, surprising Shukaku and Naruto. With the tanuki frozen in shock, Rika took the opportunity to jump onto his nose and take hold of Gaara. Her eyes softened when she looked at the boy's face. "Gaara-kun, you need to wake up, okay? You can't let Shukaku have control. So wake up!" She sighed when Gaara showed no signs of waking, signaling that he had used his Genjutsu to be in a state of sleep so Shukaku could take over. "Fine, I'll just do this the hard way." She folded her hands together and focused her chakra, but before she could dispel the Genjutsu, Shukaku shook his head. Rika was knocked off balance and went flying through the air.

Shukaku caught the young girl, saving her from a terrible meeting with the ground, but she was unconscious from her landing on the tanuki's large hand. "Girl, I suggest you don't try that again. I won't be so lenient next time you try to interfere with my fight." The tanuki's voice was irritated as he gently set Rika on the ground. "Now, where was I?" He turned back to his battle with Naruto and the toad, Gamabunta.

Within minutes, the fight was over, with Naruto and Gamabunta victorious. Gaara had been knock off the tanuki, looking battered and worse for wear. Rika was still out of it, and was carried away by Temari, while Kankuro grabbed Gaara and ran.

_SLSLSLSLSL_

_Two weeks later: Suna_

Rika sat in her rocking chair, reading a novel she had bought the day before. Baki-sensei had given the team a day off today, saying he had something to do. The siblings were at their house, doing who knows what until one of them or all three would decide to come invade her house. Sure enough, a half-hour after Rika had sat down to read, there was a knock at her door.

The onyx-eyed girl sighed and stood, going to answer the door. She was shocked to see Gaara standing there. "Gaara-kun, what a surprise. Come in." She moved to the side, letting her teammate in. Gaara entered silently and headed to the living room, Rika trailing behind.

When they were both seated on the couch, the Ichibi jinchuuriki turned to the brunette girl. Teal clashed with obsidian; both were silent, one figuring out what to say while the other waited for the first to speak.

"Rika-chan, Shukaku told me you tried to wake me up during the fight with Naruto. Why?" Gaara finally spoke, breaking eye contact to look at the rocking chair across the room.

"Yes, I did. Because, every time you give control over to Shukaku, I feel you lose a part of yourself. I don't want to lose _you_, so I tried to break your Genjutsu. I also didn't want the others to get hurt anymore than they already were," Rika answered, looking down at her lap.

Gaara turned back to her, lifting her face so he could see her eyes. "Please promise you won't try to do that again. You could have been seriously hurt." He pulled her into an embrace. "I hate seeing you hurt, especially if it's because of me," he murmured into her chocolate locks.

"I can't promise that. You know that." Rika pulled back to look up at her red-haired teammate's face. "I love you and will do anything to keep you in control of your body. Whether or not you let Shukaku loose intentionally."

Gaara placed his hand on Rika's cheek. "Why? Why do you care when no one else does? I don't understand."

Rika smiled softly, gazing into twin cyan pools. "Because I love you Gaara-kun. I always have loved you. And I believe I always will." She leaned forward and placed her lips on the redhead's cheek for a moment.

Gaara's eyes widened, then closed. Rika pulled back and noticed. "Gaara-kun, are you okay?"

Gaara cracked open one cyan eye, gazing at his teammate. "Hn," he closed his eye and leaned back, pulling Rika with him. After a few more adjustments, both were lying comfortably on the couch.

"Someone's sleepy." Rika smiled, closing her eyes and laying her head on Gaara's chest, listening to his heartbeat. Soon enough, her breathing evened out, signaling that the brunette had fallen asleep.

Gaara glanced down at the sleeping face of the girl he loved. "I love you, too, Rika," he whispered, pressing his lips to the top of her head. Minutes later, he fell asleep as well.

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><p><strong><em>I know, it's short. I'm sorry, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please review! ~Shado<em>**


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

_ Eight years later:_

"Gaara! I hope you didn't spend the whole night in your office working on paperwork," a female voice rang out from the front room of the Kazekage's office. A young woman with brown hair popped her head through the doorway leading to the inner office.

"Hn." Red hair bowed over a desk covered in official forms, one pale hand reached up and rubbed tired eyes clear. Gaara looked up at the woman and smirked faintly. "Ask me no questions and I shall tell you no lies."

"Of course. I'll take that as a yes. You know that you can't go without sleep as well as you did when you housed Shukaku." The demon had been extricated from the redhead around six years ago. The brunette woman stepped further into the office, carrying a tray filled with two cups of tea and a plate full of omelets. The mouthwatering scent filled the air, causing Gaara to stop what he was doing and gaze at the plate in wanting.

"I hope you brought that for me," he spoke softly, standing to walk over to the woman. Cyan locked with obsidian for a few moments before Gaara drew his gaze back to the tray, taking one of the offered cups.

"And if it isn't? What are you going to do, oh great Kazekage-sama?" Rika smirked, her eyes filled with mirth and mischief.

Gaara, back at his desk, set down his tea and turned again. "Then I just might have to punish you for not bringing me some of your famous omelets." He took the tray and set it on his desk as well before encircling his arms around beautiful woman in front of him. "Good morning, my love."

Rika smiled, leaning into the embrace. "Good morning, sweetheart. I hope you at least got a couple of hours of sleep last night."

"Yes, I slept on the couch for a while before continuing my work." He placed his hands on the rounded stomach between him and his love. "And how is our little one?"

"Quite active. Speaking of our little one, I was thinking of Karura for a girl. What do you think?" Rika looked up to see her lover's face.

Gaara's eyes widened, "Karura? I think it's a beautiful name." He leaned down and kissed her. Rika returned the kiss with fervor. After a moment or two, Gaara reluctantly pulled back, the need for oxygen making itself known. "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Hm, not yet today. I love you, too." Rika smiled, disentangling herself from Gaara's embrace. "Now, how about those omelets?"

Gaara chuckled softly, returning to his desk. "Sounds wonderful, Rika. I'm sure they taste as wonderful as they do every time you make some." He grabbed the plate and started eating, his shoulders relaxing at the first taste.

Rika smiled, glancing at a picture on the desk. It was a picture of her and Gaara, in formal robes, on their wedding day nearly a year ago now. She had a matching one on her desk in the outer office. Speaking of... "Well, I better get back to work." She snatched the second cup of tea on her way out, blowing a kiss to her husband.

Gaara smiled, getting lost in memories of their childhood together. He wondered, as always, how he had managed to catch Rika, as he hadn't been the nicest person, even to those closest to him. But that fight with Naruto, and interactions with the blonde at later dates, along with Rika's constant attention and love, had gradually changed him into the man he was today.

The best thing Gaara's father had ever done for him was assign him to the care of one Nana Takashi, giving the redhead the chance to love and be loved.

_**おわり **__**The End**_

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><p><strong><em>Yes, m'dears, this is the end of Sand Lullaby. Thank you for sticking with me to the end. Keep a lookout, though, for a one-shot continuation in the maybe near future. Hope you enjoyed my story and won't mind leaving one last review! ~Shado Kitsune ^_^<em>**


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